Alpha Redux
by Seven2
Summary: COMPLETE! Post FFX. Alternate Timeline. Tidus returns! A story of a second chance and a new beginning. R for language and adult situations. (TidusYuna,WakkaLulu,RikkuOther,PaineOther)
1. Prologue: Yuna remembers

Alpha Redux

Author: Seven

Summary: Tidus is back! A story of beginning again…

Rating: R because I have a dirty mind (Yuna/Tidus luvins). Nothing too terribly explicit, but it's there. If you were born in a cave or not old enough to read this and may be offended, take your hand off the mouse, stand up slowly and RUN AWAY! 

Disclaimer: FFX is not mine. If the characters were, that game would've been rated M. As it is, they belong to Square. Tidus and Yuna belong to each other. Tidus belongs to me when Yuna isn't looking.

Timeline: This story takes place about One Year after the defeat of Sin. X-2's events haven't started yet. 

Author's notes: When I wrote this story, I had not played X-2. I couldn't resist looking at some of the screenshots, though. And I read the YRP bios. But I knew nothing of the plot. So this story and character development are from my imagination with a little help from the things I listed above. Also, I know that this is a very **very** popular theme in FFX fanfic, but I wanted to write my own and this story started out with just one idea and the second I wrote that idea down in the back of my notebook, it blew up into a story of some sort. (grin)  This is my first fic, so feedback and reviews (the good, the bad, and the ugly) welcome and loved!

WARNINGS: Okay, I am a romantic at heart. And I am woman. And I think in riddles. Lethal combo, I know. So there are sweet moments in here, but there's some brutal murder and gore too! Okay no there's not. But there are some physical altercations and lotsa angst, though. Just read! 

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"I know it's crazy, but I still can feel your kiss…"

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Yuna was sitting on the bow of her Uncle's airship with Rikku and Paine when it happened. 

The ship had been descending down to the coast of Besaid to drop her off for the night. After sphere hunting all day, Yuna was exhausted but pretty happy. She loved spending time with her cousin and friend, and that day was no different. Besides the wonderful company she kept, the actual sphere hunting was challenging both mentally and physically. The sense of accomplishment Yuna felt when they found a really good sphere was worth every minute. 

"So do you think he's cute?" Rikku cooed, leaning back against the guardrail.

Yuna looked up from her seat, focusing on the conversation. She assumed her cousin was referring to one of the religious...enthusiasts…they had run into earlier from a group called the Alliance Ajito. Rikku thought he was a freak, but Paine seemed to show a genuine interest the young man himself. Well, in her own Paine way. What was his name…?

Paine crossed her arms, eyes narrowing. "No, I don't. He's blonde. Blondes are airheads." She reached out to tug one of Rikku's braids. "See?"

"Hey!" Rikku complained, pulling away. Yuna ducked her head a bit and covered her mouth, not quite hiding her chuckle. Paine leaned back, a smirk on her lips. 

"Don't be jealous, Pain-ey," she chirped, flipping her hair and turning around to watch their descent. "Just because you can't be the great Rikku doesn't mean you should act like an angry shoopuf mother…Whoa!"

The surprise in her cousin's voice startled Yuna. She stood, rushing across the deck to lean over the rail next to a wide-eyed Rikku and Paine. The village children were running wildly about, flailing their arms and yelling up at them. The roar of the ship's engine was too loud for them to hear what the kids were saying. Dread spread through Yuna's stomach at the sight. What was wrong? Was Sin back?

She looked over at her friends, and knew the worried expressions on their faces mirrored hers. 

"Rumo cred…" Paine mumbled.

As the ship settled in the shallow water close the shore, Yuna could finally make out what the kids were saying. 

"Lady Yuna!" 

"Lady Yuna! Tidus is back!"

"Wakka took him!"

"He's heeeere! " 

Three words and she felt like her world was turning upside down again. 

Tidus is back.

Three words, and she was running full speed down the beach. Her hair was in her eyes, and tears were streaming down her face. Her lungs were on fire and she had a side cramp. One of her boots was untied. She could hear her friends telling her to slow down and wait, but she couldn't stop. She just kept running. It didn't matter that it was all so unreal; that she hadn't seen him in nearly a year. All she could think about was laying her eyes on him…

When she burst through the door of the house, Lulu was waiting for her in the kitchen. Without a word, her friend smiled and pointed upstairs. Yuna took the steps two, maybe three at a time, and rounded the corner to Wakka and Lulu's room. 

Tidus. 

She stopped breathing.

There he was, lying in Wakka's bed, asleep. Unconscious? He looked just like he had on the last day she had seen him, over a year ago. His hair was wet, plastered to his forehead. He was covered in a large blanket, and she noticed his soaked boots lying by the side of the bed. Had he been immersed in water? 

She felt numb, save the dreadful feeling in the pit of her stomach. This was impossible. "Is…what…how did he..." she stumbled over her words, eyes filling with tears again.

"He just sleepin, Yuna," Wakka soothed her softly, walking around the bed toward her. His large hand rubbed her shoulder gently. Its coolness was a stark contrast against her hot skin. "Don' worry, ya?"

She ignored him, instead focusing on the rise and fall of Tidus' chest. It was nearly sensory overload; the emotions and questions she had. She wanted to know how he got there, how he was _alive_, and if he even was alive. How was it possible to be happy, angry, sad, worried and relieved all at the same time? How was his being there possible? And why was he wet?

Lulu came in at that point, and stood next to Yuna. She spoke then.  "Some children found him, washed up on the shore." 

Yuna gasped, wondering at that. At the whole thing.

"They came and got Wakka and me, and he carried him home." Yuna felt Lulu's comforting hand on the crown of her head. "Try and relax Yuna." she murmured, "Just sit with him and be. He's going to be fine."

Yuna nodded, slowly sitting on the bed. She dimly noticed that Wakka and Lulu had left the room. She began to study his sleeping face. His beautiful face. His well-shaped eyebrows...the freckles sprinkled on his nose…his mouth. That same mouth that always had a smirk to it, even now. Oh, how she'd missed his _face_. She wanted to reach out and touch him, to assure herself that he was real, but she was afraid that he might disappear under her fingers all over again. Terrified, even.

Again, her eyes filled with tears. The adrenaline was slowly draining from her, and she was more exhausted than before. But she couldn't leave his side. What if he woke up and she wasn't there? The moment she had been longing for was finally here, and she wasn't going to miss it for anything. Crawling up beside him in the bed, Yuna wrapped her arms around his body and drifted off to sleep.  He felt cold, even through the blankets, and she hugged him tightly, trying to warm him.

In what seemed like just a short time later, she was awakened by something moving under her. Yuna's eyes shot open, and she pushed herself above Tidus on one arm. Slightly embarrassed, she realized she must've fallen asleep and rolled on top of him. As she looked down at him, time stood still for Yuna as she watched his eyelashes flutter, and her heart nearly stopped beating at the sight of his gorgeous blue eyes…. 

She vaguely felt his hand clutch her shirt. "Yu-na..." he whispered, his voice cracking on the second syllable. He looked pained, like talking took great deal of effort.

She gasped as the smooth fabric of his blitz glove touched her face. Joy filled her at that moment, and they shared the first smile in an entire year…

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Rumo cred = holy shit in Al Bhed ;)

To be continued….


	2. Musings on life, blitz, and Yuna

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"Can I just feel your heart beating beside me, every night?"

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Tidus woke on his back, a warm body draped over his.

He yawned, running his hand through Yuna's soft hair. The soft light of dawn shone through the fluttering drapes over the window and the sun's rays warmed his bare chest. Tidus took a deep breath of sleepy Yuna and a Besaid morning breeze.  It was just a little bright outside, and early. Crap. He could hear Wakka and Lulu downstairs making breakfast, which meant he and Wakka had to leave soon.

'Wakka and Lulu', he chuckled inwardly. He just _knew_ that there was something between them beyond a friendship. Yuna had shocked him by informing him that Lulu was pregnant…and who the father and husband was. She'd recounted their wedding to him, and it sounded like it had been a pretty cool affair. He was sad he'd missed it. Lulu's slightly swollen belly, mood swings, and strange new eating habits were a source of endless amusement to him. Speaking of which, he figured he'd get up before she came up to get him and used that Flare spell of hers. He shuddered in remembrance of the time she'd blown up a Raldo with it.

He carefully, regretfully, extracted himself from under Yuna, and sat up, swinging his bare legs over the side of the bed. He didn't dare look at her, she was so sexy in the morning and he _really_ needed to get dressed and get downstairs. Well, she was always beautiful and sexy to him and if he admitted it – all the guys in Spira – but especially when she was sleeping and unguarded. He was one lucky guy. 

As he rose and padded to the bathroom in his boxers, he stretched his arms above his head and popped his back. He proceeded to grab a washcloth and wet it to wash his face. Yuna's frilly-smelling soap was on the counter, and he was entirely too lazy to look for his, so he decided to use it. As he scrubbed his face, the loud flowery smell made him wrinkle his nose. Wakka was going to smell him and make fun. Oh well, at least if he caught a whiff of it during the day, Yuna would be on his mind. Next, his toothbrush was slathered with toothpaste, and he began humming happily to himself as he brushed. 'Today's gonna be a good day,' he thought with a smile full of toothpaste.

It had been a over a month since his return, and a lot had happened. Tidus was still getting used to it all day by day.  

Wakka had talked him into joining the Aurochs again, who had improved tremendously since the last time he'd played with them over a year ago. They'd gone from last to third in the standings behind the Luca Goers and Ronso Fangs, respectively. They were in the summer offseason right now, which consisted of just tournament play and exhibitions, but he knew that with him in the lineup they could go to first place this summer and next season. 

Since it was summer, and he would have more time on his hands than ever, he'd signed on as Wakka's assistant with the Junior Aurochs. This morning, the two had to be in Luca for a mini-tournament for the kids. They weren't going to be the best team there, but they weren't the worst, and they were improving every practice. "Do your best" was their cheer, and they always did, so he was happy.

He walked out of the bathroom, pulling his yellow, meshy Aurochs coaching shirt over his head. His shorts and socks were next, and he stepped into his old yellow and black boots. Wakka had given the shirt to him a few days before, and Tidus proudly wore it. Wakka had been so happy that he pulled Tidus into another of his deadly headlocks and gave him a ferocious nuggie. Of course, Rikku had seen the whole thing and laughed at him for hours for it. It had even gotten a chuckle out of Lulu. But it hurt, and he'd almost been tempted to ask Yuna to work her curative magic on him or something.

Yuna.

He smiled at the thought of her and made his way across the room to sit beside her on the bed. She lay on her back, her head tilted to one side and arms folded above. She had kicked the cotton sheets off one long, slender leg in her sleep, and her little cotton tank top had ridden up as well. Tidus' hand was itching to run along her thigh and up into those panties, to wake her up properly….but he bit his lip and clutched his fist to resist the urge. Not enough time. His admiration of her went unnoticed, for she was still asleep with a half-smile on her face. He wondered what she was dreaming about, if she was dreaming about him. Although he decided he didn't care, as long as she was happy.

What a relief it was, to see her smiling in her peaceful slumber instead of the fitful sleep she had during the first few days he was back. They'd been so worried about him leaving again, and it seemed silly now that they wasted so much time pondering something out of their control. Yuna would say it was a blessing, but he didn't know from whom. Or what.

Spira was different now, it almost reminded him of his old Zanarkand. Blitzball was more important now than Yevon had been, and he was some sort of a celebrity in such a short time. Not only for his blitzball prowess, but for being a guardian of Yuna during her journey and helping to defeat Sin. It was ridiculous, the attention he and Yuna got in public. Spira's savior and blitzball's phenom. He loved it, of course, but Yuna was a little taken aback by all the attention. She was getting used to it though.

As far as religion went, there really was no structured religion as of yet. All of Spira was looking to Yuna for guidance; some even wanted to idolize her to worship.  He admired her for her spirit, and the honest good-natured person she was. She took it all very personally, and he, Lulu, Wakka, Rikku, Paine and even Kimahri all made sure she didn't get stressed over such things. If he had it his way, she would let the people of Spira find religion on their own. It wasn't her burden to take. Spira had a free choice, right? But Yuna was Yuna, and she took it upon herself to replace a religion she had exposed and destroyed with a real one. She was so unselfish and caring and that was part of the reason he loved her so much. All he _could_ do was support her and love her. She made it so easy…

He reached down, bringing the sheet up her body to cover her. He was really beginning to wish he didn't have to go. This past month, their sex life had been moving forward in baby steps. It had started the night he and Lulu had talked at the dock a couple of nights after his mysterious return. They'd talked for nearly an hour, and traded theories on how his return was possible and what it meant. She had reminded him of what they had been told - that Spira would not forget its saviors. This reassured him immensely, and he began to believe that he was there to stay. In turn, his respect for Lulu had ratcheted up about 50 notches that night. He'd always respected her, but never in an 'older sister' type of light. Afterwards, he'd hugged Lulu, scooped a sleeping Yuna up, and the three made their way home. 

He'd later told Yuna what they'd talked about, and they agreed to just enjoy their time together no matter what: no fears and no regrets. That was when she kissed him, and he'd thought he was going to pass out. He'd almost forgotten how kissable her lips were, and how she tasted so good, and how responsive she was…

Almost every night since, they indulged in a heavy make out session. He didn't really know what else to call it. It was frustrating and fun, and wonderful all at the same time. He'd never known what it was like to touch and please someone else, just to make them feel good, and he discovered that he liked it. He knew she wanted to take it further – to make love, and so did he, but he wanted to wait until their wedding night. He wanted to do right by her. By whatever means necessary. Even if it did mean not letting her touch him. They would just wait till then. Well, if he ever got the balls up to just ask her…

"Ey Tidus! C'mon slowpoke!"

Wakka. Crap. He'd gotten so lost in his thoughts that he was probably going to make them miss their boat. He kissed Yuna softly on the arm, then on her forehead and hurried out of the room. Closing the door softly behind him, he slung his bag over his shoulder and hurried down the stairs to meet Wakka.

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To be continued…


	3. Musings on Spira, friendship, and Tidus

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"The soft caress of happiness…"

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A warm island breeze ruffled Yuna's hair as she sat on the beach.

She was reading under an umbrella, next to Wakka's coaches' hut outside the newly built Aurochs team clubhouse, watching the village children play in the waves. This was her favorite relaxing spot and she indulged herself whenever she could. It was such a sensory experience: the waves lapping at the shore, as well as the beautiful weather and the salty smell of the sea. The seabirds squawked above, and the happy sound of children playing was music to Yuna's ears. Some days, she and Lulu would come sit and watch the Aurochs practice from here.  

"Lady Yuna!"

She looked up at the sound of her name, and spotted Japeth, Keepa's youngest son, waving at her. She smiled, returning the wave to him as well as the rest of the smiling children that had spotted her and were now waving wildly. The boys were flexing, making muscles to impress her and Yuna clapped for them gleefully. The kids were so cute. After a few minutes, the children went back to their play and she looked back down to her studies. 

'Break time', Yuna thought, releasing a slow breath. She put her book and notes down to her side, kicking off her sandals and digging her bare toes into the sand. It had been nearly four hours since she had started, and concentration was slowing leaving her. She scooted from under the umbrella, and leaned back to rest with her hands planted in the sand behind her. Her head tilted back and she took in the clear, deep blue sky. Closing her eyes, she smiled and enjoyed the warm sun bathing her upturned face. It was really was a lovely day.

Come to think of it, nearly every day was wonderful for her now that Tidus was back. 'What a difference a month makes,' she mused, thoughtfully.

It had been a year since they defeated Sin and the Eternal Calm was finally upon Spira. Upon their return from her pilgrimage, she was to deliver a victory speech to Spira at Luca stadium. She should've been happy, and she was, really. It was just that… something was missing. Something huge. Actually, someone.

Sighing inwardly, she recalled the sense of loss and anguish she had felt. Goodness, she had missed him so. It tore at every fiber of her being that he was not there with her. Even as she smiled and delivered many speeches to many people, the sadness would settle over her spirit like an old musty blanket. It was even there while she had stood at Mt. Gagazet, with all her friends from her journey by her side and watched her Ronso statue be unveiled. Sometimes, if she thought about her lost love long enough, the grief would feel like it was actually choking her. It was horrible.

So, she had thrown herself into her new 'job' as the kind of… official…unofficial Grand Maestress of Spira. She visited a town a day, almost every day for four months. Delivering speeches, encouraging villagers, and cheering at every blitzball game she could. Even still, it seemed like the harder she cheered, the sadder she felt.

Spira wanted a new religion. There were those who still held fast to their teachings of Yevon, and refused to take the Eternal Calm seriously. There were others who even wanted to treat her like the new Yu Yevon. She didn't want that at all, but she wanted Spira to be able to believe in something good, honest and true. 

Besides, it took her mind off of Tidus.

For the past year, she had been meticulously studying the book of Yevon, the teachings of Sawanai, Kruat, Shintaoe, and many other 'minor' religions that were not widely practiced. She wanted to find out what about these religions was so captivating and made people believe in them so whole-heartedly. Yuna just wanted to find a religion that was meaningful and worth teaching Spira.  But it was hard work, and it frustrated her at times. 

Well, when it came to her self-imposed mission, Tidus hated it the most. She knew he couldn't stand to see her upset at all. Especially not over something so meaningless to him as religion. He felt like everyone who even mentioned anything about it was pressuring her and strictly using her for his or her own selfish gain. She tried to convince him otherwise, but he didn't understand. Even still, he knew it was important to her, so he always encouraged and uplifted her when she was down. He was such a wonderful person.

Besides the religion issue, there were the suitors. Oh, there had been _so_ many. Before Tidus had come back to her, men and boys were writing letters or sending her picture spheres. The whole past year someone was knocking on the door to her home or leaving flowers for her nearly everyday. When she was visiting another village or town, there were men trying to woo her there as well. It was crazy. Rikku wanted her to find someone to make her happy, and Paine wanted the boys to just leave her alone. "Just say the word, Yuna." She'd said, brandishing her huge sword at the knock at her door one day. "Just say the word..." She was kidding of course, and the three laughed about the incident for days.

Yuna chuckled at that; Paine's blatant distaste for mushy or 'pretty' boys was humorous to her and Rikku both.

Rikku and Paine had become her closest friends in the past year. The girls always knew when she was upset, and made sure she was always having fun or keeping herself busy. Lulu and Wakka were great too, and were always there for her when she was sad or needed a friend, but they were older and had a life of their own. She didn't want to worry them with her problems. Paine and Rikku understood what she was going through, and since they were all around the same age, it was easier to open up to them. 

They were great friends – when they saw she was getting frustrated with her inability to come up with a solution, or when she was just plain sad, they took her shopping in Luca or swimming and sphere hunting. Sometimes, they all just sat and talked. Rikku had even made her a top with Tidus' blitzball logo on it to cheer her up when they thought he was gone forever. They were a blessing to her, and she loved them very much for caring so like they did. 

Tidus.

Speaking of blessings… Her smile widened into a full-fledged grin at that thought. He was her everything - her protector, friend, confidant, and her lover. 

'And what a lover he is…' she thought, feeling the color rise in her cheeks.

They spent every night together, aside from the nights he went to Luca to coach or to play, and the nights she had visits at the other villages or stayed on her Uncle Cid's airship. Every day she looked forward to what the night would bring. Of course she always looked forward to just seeing him in general, but their nights together were something else entirely.

She had kissed him first, that night. It was their second kiss since Macalania and it had been absolutely wonderful. Yuna sighed, folding her legs in to sit cross-legged. Leaning forward to rest her chin in her hand, she began to ponder the issue further.

Before him, she had only kissed one person's lips, and those were Seymour's on that awful day in Bevelle. 'Ugh.' She thought disgustedly, shaking her head.

Having to endure that…disgusting...mockery of a union had been for Spira and Spira only. An involuntary shudder ran through her frame. She was so glad that things turned out the way they did, and that they had all found each other again. And as horrible as it was, she was glad Seymour Guado was dead. His mind was too twisted to find it's way back to goodness, and now he could find that freedom he wanted so desperately during his tumultuous life.

Even still, she wished that Tidus had been her first kiss. Actually, he was…kind of. He was the first boy she had kissed with more than just her lips. She'd kissed him with her mind, body, heart and soul that night. Oh, how she loved kissing him. He was so passionate, and a very good kisser. Well, she only had that one horrible kiss to compare him to, but she just knew that he was amazing at it. His lips were so soft and gentle, and the way he used his tongue…

'Mmmm.' She thought, absently worrying a lock of hair between her fingertips.

She also loved the way he touched her when they were alone at night. He was always so gentle and loving, and always asked if it was okay or if it felt good to her. And it always felt good to her. He knew how to touch her so well, in such a short time. Her very first orgasm had been from his fingers on her. She remembered the unexpected waves of pleasure rippling through her at his gentle caresses and loving urging. Oh, it had been amazing.

Losing her virginity to him had been on her mind since that first night. Yuna knew he wanted to, but something was holding him back. Those talented fingers of his always brought her to orgasm, every single time, and it made her want him inside her so badly. But he always politely turned her down and wouldn't let her return the favor. He would never let her touch him…there. She had never even actually seen it. 

There were times during their play when she'd seen his hardness tenting his shorts, but never the real thing. It looked huge straining against his clothes like that, and the sight always aroused her immensely. She wanted to ask him why she couldn't touch, but she was still too shy to talk about some things and the words would never leave her mouth. So she was just hoping that he was just waiting until they got married or were together longer. She really hoped it wasn't because of something she had done….or not done. 

Her experience with men in that context was zero, so she was pretty insecure about her sexuality. Tidus' life in Zanarkand had been one of great fame and stardom, and there were probably girls all over him, just like now. Yuna didn't know if he was a virgin or not, but she guessed not by the way he was in bed. The thought of him with another woman in the past made her jealous, even though she knew it was irrational.

Yuna released a sigh again, wondering what time Tidus and Wakka would be back. All this thinking made her want to see him very badly.  Maybe she would get the nerve to talk to him about it tonight.

She rose, brushing off her long, light cotton skirt and tucking her hair behind her ears. A haircut was in order, and she decided to ask Paine for one when she and Rikku came by tomorrow. At the moment, they were in Guadosalam, teaching the Guado how to use some machina they'd ordered from Home. 

Yuna walked closer to the water's edge, cupping a hand above her brow to hopefully scan the horizon for Wakka and Tidus' boat. As she did so, movement from the corner of her eye made her turn toward shore. She smiled, spotting Lulu. Her friend was giving a travel chest to Vilucha, the retired blitzer now in charge of the Kilika/Besaid/Luca mail ferry.

Since her job as a guardian was over for good, Lulu had taken the job as one of the Black Mage instructors of Spira. Yuna was very happy for her because she knew how much Lulu enjoyed practicing her magic and now she could teach others who had 'the gift' as well. Of course, she was pregnant and couldn't travel as much as she used to, so she recorded instructional spheres and shipped them to her students. No doubt those were what were in that chest.

Yuna made her way back over to her things and began to gather them in her pack. Now that Lulu was done, she wanted to spend some time with her before the boys came back. Maybe she could convince her to get a maternity dress that didn't have buckles and belts all over it. 'Maybe a color besides black.' Yuna thought, giggling to herself.

The umbrella was now tucked under one slender arm, and the pack slung over her shoulder. Still smiling, Yuna began to hum happily as she waved Lulu down and made her way across the beach.

What a lovely day.

To be continued…


	4. Desperate times

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"I'm ready to love you, forever."

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Tidus stood on the bow of the S.S. Liki, surrounded by running, chattering kids.

The Junior Aurochs had stunned everyone by winning the tournament over the Junior Fangs. That Cup was coming home to Besaid and the kids were so excited to show their parents, as well as the Aurochs. He was excited to show Yuna, he loved it when she was proud of him.

"They did real good today. I'm real proud of dem," Wakka smiled, coming to stand next to Tidus.

He smiled back. "Yeah they did. Bickson was so pissed when we eliminated them in the semis." He replied, laughing.

Wakka laughed as well. Bickson, the star of the Luca Goers, wouldn't even shake their hands after that game. Tidus really hated coaches like that, they reminded him of his old man when he was younger.

The two stood in silence, watching the excited children re-enact the final game with the Fangs. The score was 5 to 4, and it had been a fight to the finish. Terth Ronso, their coach, was very gracious and congratulated the boys on their win. Coming from a proud Ronso, this was a huge compliment and it pumped up the kids even more. Now, they had to deal with hyper kids all the way back to Besaid.

Tidus sighed, as Otley kick-tackled JoRaph onto the deck of the ship. 'It's gonna be a _long_ trip.' he thought.

Wakka clapped Tidus on the back, laughing at the kids. "You guys be careful, ya?" he yelled. 

"Hey. Wakka?" Tidus said, growing serious.

Wakka turned to face him, leaning against a crate. Tidus continued. "I uh, well. I…." He trailed off, reaching up to scratch his head. He'd been dying to talk to someone about this, and now he couldn't even spit it out.

A frown creased Wakka's forehead. "What's wrong man?" he asked, smile slowly fading. 

'Shit.' Tidus thought, turning away to face the sea. He knew this was going to be hard, but he never thought it was going to be like this. He felt like he had gigantic butterflies in his stomach, and his mouth was getting dry. Maybe if he just leaned over the side of the rail and puked, Wakka would forget about this whole thing….

"Ey Tidus", Wakka persisted, leaning closer. "What's with you?"

Tidus took a deep breath, and then turned to Wakka. "I wanna marry Yuna." He blurted, throwing his arms out. There. It was done.

"Whoa..." Wakka said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the crate.

Tidus kept his eyes trained on his friend, to gauge his reaction. The frown was still on Wakka's face, his upper lip screwed in thought. He wondered if Wakka was thinking of a way to kill him, or push him off the boat. He'd looked this same way right before he busted Luzzu in the face on Mushroom Rock. Shit. He began to fidget, dancing from foot to foot. 

They stood for almost a minute like that, Wakka looking down and thinking and Tidus slowly dying inside some from the dread that was building. Obviously, Wakka didn't think his marrying Yuna was a good idea. Oh man, this was not going to be good.

Finally, Wakka looked up and met Tidus' eyes. His usual genial smile spread over his face, and he reached out to playfully punch him in the arm. 'Huh?' was Tidus' first thought.

"So you wanna marry Yuna, huh?" Wakka asked, coming to stand next to him on the wall facing the ocean.

Tidus felt the relief wash over him so quickly that he was almost dizzy. "Yeah," he nodded, as Wakka crossed his arms again.

Wakka nodded too, reaching up to rub his stubble. "You know Yuna's like my baby sister, ya?" he said, in an uncharacteristically serious tone.

Tidus nodded again, turning to face him.

"Well, I just want her to be happy, ya? I know you love her and everything, but I don't want anything to happen to her." He turned his head to look Tidus straight in the eye. "Dat means body, or soul. See what I'm sayin?"

Tidus nodded, feeling kind of touched by Wakka's obvious love for Yuna. He'd known that he was like a big brother to her, but he didn't know the love went this deep. "I know, Wakka." He replied, leaning back against the wall. "I would never hurt her at all. She deserves to be treated like the special girl that she is, for the rest of her life. I feel like I can do that and then some."

"So why you askin' me instead of her?" he laughed.

Tidus laughed in chagrin. "Because you're so hot, Wakka." He said, pretending like he was going to grab Wakka's ass.

A guffaw burst from Wakka as he threatened Tidus with a huge fist. "Do it and die, you weirdo." He said, still chuckling. "Maybe it's not such a good idea - you marrying Yuna. Maybe you should go off and find a nice guy for yourself."

The two laughed and exchanged jokes for a bit, then stood in companionable silence. The sun had long since set, and the ocean was beautiful at night. All the stars were visible both in the sky and dancing on the gently waving water. The moon was out, shining its serene glow on the vast sea. The light constant breeze kept the summer night comfortably cool, and the view was gorgeous as far as they could see.

"So when you gonna ask her?" Wakka asked, breaking the silence.

Tidus shrugged. "I dunno yet. I still have to get Lulu and Kimahri's permission first," he sighed. "Then I have to get the nerve to ask _her_."

"You were asking for my permission?" Wakka asked.

Tidus turned to look at him. "Well, yeah." At Wakka's confused frown, he continued. "I mean, you guys are her family. I'm asking Kimahri because she's the closest thing she has to a father figure. You guys' opinion matters a lot to me. And her too, I know."

Wakka smiled, looking back out to sea. "Dere you go again, soundin just like Chappu."

Tidus tilted his head quizzically. "Huh?" he asked.

"Well, when Chappu first decided he wanted to marry Lulu, he asked me too." Wakka said, smiling. "Since you know, none of us had parents and we were all pretty much each other's family."

Intrigued, Tidus prompted, "So what did you say?"

"I said I thought he should." Wakka shrugged. "Man, I was dyin inside when I said it. But he was my brother and I couldn't tell him how I felt about her."

"Wow." Tidus said softly. "You've loved her for like, ever."

"Ya." Wakka replied, a wistful note in his island baritone. "It feels dat way sometimes."

Tidus was suddenly very glad he'd brought all this up. Lulu and Wakka's relationship had been sort of a mystery to him, and now he was finding out lots of things about them. It must have been hard for Wakka to love Lulu for so long and never be able to tell her how he felt. Then to lose his brother, and still be faced with the woman he loves but can't be with because of his dead brother. Heav-y.

"So when did you tell her how you felt?" Tidus asked.

Wakka smiled, sighing. It was the look of a man in love. Tidus briefly wondered if he looked that way when he thought of Yuna. He decided he probably did. "I think she always knew, but I told her dat night we camped out in Zanarkand."

Tidus remembered that night well; they had all sat at the fire in silence for hours, each lost in their own thoughts. He remembered getting up to take a leak sometime before dawn, and seeing Wakka and Lulu talking by the campfire. It had looked like a very intense conversation. "So what did she say?" he asked.

"She said she loved me too." Wakka replied and lowered himself on one arm to sit against the wall. "I said, 'Lu, if we make it out of dis alive, I want you to marry me, ya?' and she said yes."

"Jeez, you make it sound so easy." Tidus frowned, bewildered. "How the hell did you just ask Lulu, of all people, something like that? Were you nervous? I get nervous when I ask her to pass me the salt at dinner." He joked, looking down at him.

Wakka chuckled. "Brudda, I was so nervous let me tell ya." He said, but then softened his voice a bit, "But I think I could only do it cuz I thought dat might be our last night together."

'Desperate times call for desperate measures.' Tidus thought, nodding and sitting down next to Wakka. 

It was times like this when the gravity of he and Yuna's situation would hit him. He still couldn't believe he was back with her after all that had happened. On the airship after that final showdown with Sin, he thought he would never see her again. Or anyone for that matter. The terror he had felt at literally watching himself disappear was outweighed by the sadness of their permanent separation. He'd run off the ship because he didn't know what else to do, and he didn't tell her he loved her back. 

He sighed inwardly. That was his biggest regret. He now made sure that he told her every day.

Tidus bit his lip, drawing his knees into his chest and wrapping his arms around them. He had really missed Yuna all day. He wondered how she'd spent her day off. He knew that she didn't have any trips planned, so maybe she had gone out with Rikku and Paine or hung out with Lulu. Whatever she did, he hoped she hadn't been stressing herself out over those stupid teachings. 

In any event, when he got home, he was going to tell her all about the tournament. He knew she would be proud of him, and sometimes that was all he needed to feel like a man. Besides, since the kids had won the tournament, there was no practice for them in the morning. Which meant he could sleep in. Which meant he could pleasure Yuna all night until she passed out. 

He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. He was so freaking lucky. 

Wakka stood up, yawning. "I'm gonna go make sure the kids are doin' alright," he said, interrupting Tidus' thoughts. "We should be back in Besaid soon."

Tidus stood up as well. An answering yawn escaped him. "I'll come with. I'll bet they're pretty tired."

As Tidus trailed behind Wakka toward the sleeping group of kids, he smiled to himself. 'One down, two to go.' he thought. Well, he still had to tell Rikku and Paine, but he would tell them last. He was worried that either Rikku would spill the secret, or that Paine would slit his throat in his sleep. Or maybe both.

'Ah well.' He thought. "'Desperate times…" he mumbled.

"Huh?" Wakka asked, turning around.

Tidus waved him off. "Nothin, just talking to myself."

To be continued….


	5. Yuna questions

This chapter has some naughty bits, but nothing too graphic. So make sure you're tall enough to ride this ride, kiddos. ;)  

__________

"Discover me, discovering you…"

__________

Yuna was hovering on the plane between sleep and wakefulness when she heard Tidus tiptoeing into the moonlit bedroom.

"Tidus?" she whispered, her voice husky with sleep.

He stopped in his tracks, looking very much like a child with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. "Heeeeey." He whispered back, walking toward her. He sat down on the edge of the bed next to her and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's okay," she smiled. He was so sweet. "So," she said, rolling to completely face him. "How did it go?"

He beamed. "It was so awesome, Yuna. We won!" he yipped, throwing his hands in the air.

"Shhhhh…" she giggled, lifting a finger to his lips. He was going to wake everyone up in the house. But she did love how he could be so very boyish at times. "Congratulations, but quieter, okay?" she scolded lightly, still smiling. 

He chuckled, grabbing her hand and intertwining it with his. "Sorry." He said, back to whispering. "It was just so cool."

Yuna sat up in the bed, sitting cross-legged and listened to Tidus' giddiness. He walked around the room, giving her a very animated (but thankfully quiet this time) recount of the whole tournament. It was wonderful news; the Junior Aurochs had never won a tournament, and now the Junior Cup was going to be in Besaid for all to see and take pride in. She knew those boys and girls had worked so hard, and so did Wakka and Tidus. It made Yuna happy to know that all their work had paid off. "So when does the season start?" she asked.

"Next week," he replied, taking off his shirt. "We play the Youth Guado on Monday and then I have a game against Kilika on Tuesday."

Yuna nodded, though she didn't hear a word he said. She loved watching him undress before bed. He had such a gorgeous body. His handsomely angled face and blue eyes were enough to make just about any woman fall for him, but his body was incredible. The toned, tanned arms and legs…and that washboard stomach…

"Earth to Yuna…."

She looked up at his face. His knowing grin was all she needed to blush furiously. Why was she blushing anyway? He'd seen her naked before. What was there to be embarrassed about? She would have to find a way to get over her shyness. 

"I asked you a question…." he continued, locking his eyes onto hers and pushing his shorts down his legs. He stood facing her in only his boxers and that stupid smug smile she secretly loved.

"I'm sorry," she replied, her voice surprisingly calm. It was hot all of a sudden. Did Lulu have the heater on? "What did you ask me?"

He tossed his clothes into the hamper, then walked into the bathroom and turned on the light. "I asked if you were coming with us next week." He laughed, turning on the water and beginning to brush his teeth. "Or aw u gunnah be buhzee?"

"Oh no, no. I'll be there." She said, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the light. Once they did, she just admired the way his muscles flexed as he brushed. 

He nodded, continuing his pre-bed ritual. 

Butterflies suddenly filled Yuna's stomach. She really wanted to talk to him about the "no-touching" thing. But what was she going to say? She released a sigh, falling onto her back. It was going to have to be tonight; she had absolutely promised herself. No more avoiding the issue. She nodded sharply to herself. 'Right', she thought. As soon as he came out of the bathroom, they would talk. It was going to be tough to spit it out, but at least she would finally know why…and what to do next.

He flicked the light off, walking out of the bathroom and making his way toward the bed. They shared a smile as he lifted a corner of the blanket and scooted next to her. He propped himself up on an elbow and began to study her face. A few moments passed, and Yuna was beginning to squirm under his scrutiny when he broke the silence. "I missed you a lot today," he said, a corner of his mouth lifting into a half-smile.

She looked down, almost embarrassed by his declaration. "Me too."

"You missed you?" he joked, eyebrows going skyward. "You're so self-centered Yuna."

She giggled and slapped his arm. "I am not!"

"Shhhh." He mimicked her from earlier, but lifted his whole hand to cover her mouth and press her head back into the pillow. "Be quiet or you'll wake the pregnant mage!" he hissed.

Yuna was glad his hand was covering her mouth, because she let out a belly laugh. Tidus was so funny.

"So how was your day today?" he asked, resting that hand on her tummy.

"It was good," she smiled. "Very relaxing."

He nodded, returning her smile. "So what did you do? Did you get to see Paine and Rikku?"

She shook her head, sliding her hand up to cover his on her stomach. "They were in Guadosalam with Uncle Cid." She replied, relaxing back into the pillows. "I spent a lot of time with Lulu today. We went swimming for a while and we also had a really long talk."

He raised his eyebrows. "About…?"

"It's secret girl stuff." Yuna replied, matter-of-factly. "You can't know."

Tidus laughed. "I probably don't wanna know." He said, enduring another playful slap on the arm. "You dirty girls…"

She giggled at his antics. His sense of humor was one of his best qualities to Yuna. She had always appreciated how he could make her laugh, even through her pilgrimage.

Suddenly, his smile began to fade and his features took on that intense stare. The one he always got right before he...

As he leaned in and touched his lips to hers, Yuna's eyes slipped shut and she sighed happily. She loved when he kissed her like this. His mouth moved slowly over hers, igniting that now-familiar flame of lust inside her. She really hadn't known it existed until that fateful night in Macalania. Since then, he'd coaxed it out, made her burn for him. Goodness, what he _did_ to her. 

"Yuna," Tidus whispered, breaking their kiss to move flush against her side.

His mouth moved to her neck, beginning to lick and suck the tender skin there. Her back arched on it's own accord, and she released his hand to slide hers up his strong back to his shoulder blades. Scorching hot kisses made their way across her throat to the other side of her neck, and she moaned quietly. His hardness was poking against her thigh, and she really wanted to touch, but she wasn't sure he would let her. Yuna frowned, stiffening a bit and losing concentration on what he was doing to her. They really need to talk. 

"Tidus," she whispered.

He either thought she was just saying his name or ignored her, because he kept going. 

"Hey," she said, moving her hands up to pull his face away from their impeding path down to her chest.

"Huh?" he said, eyes glazed over. 

She would've laughed at his expression if she weren't so nervous. "I um…wanted to talk to you about something." She said, stroking his face.

"I thought we _were_ talking," he joked, planting a kiss on her neck just above the neckline of her tank top.

"Not that kind of talking, " she smiled. "I'm serious."

He nodded, sobering. "Okay, okay. I'm all ears, Yuna."

Yuna took a deep breath and continued. Here goes nothing. "Well, I wanted to know why…if…" she frowned, looking down. A sudden rush of intense fear gripped her. What if he told her it was because she wasn't good enough or experienced enough? What if he wanted someone else to make love with who knew how? What if he already _had_ with someone else?

"Hey…" he crooned softly, reaching up to tilt her chin up. "What's wrong babe?"

Yuna loved this person beyond reason. There were no secrets between them. So why was this so hard? 'Just say it Yuna!' she thought. "I um..I wanted to know…if you wanted to go shopping for Rikku's birthday with me tomorrow." Okay, so she was a frightened chocobo. It wasn't the complete truth, but it was something really did want to know. Besides, she could ask him later, right?

He smiled, and let out a laugh through his nose. "That's all you wanted?" he asked. At her nod, he continued. "Of course I'll go with you. I'm glad you said something; I almost forgot about that." 

"Yes, her birthday is coming fast." she said, "We need to get things for the party."

"You wanna go to that new shopping district outside Bevelle?" he asked, running a hand through her hair. It made her want to purr like a kitten.

"Mmm-hmm" she hummed, finally relaxing again and allowing her eyes to slip shut. Yes, she would ask him on the boat to Kilika tomorrow, instead of ruining the mood tonight.

Tidus moved over her, planting a hand on each side of her head. "Tomorrow after I get back from practice then." He said, leaning down to steal a quick kiss from her. "But tonight Yuna…" 

She opened her eyes to look up at him. He bit his lip, grasping the hem of her tank top and pushing it up and over her head. "Just let me make you feel really good."

Yuna's head lolled back in pleasure as he lowered his head to begin again. "I love you so much," he said softly, in warm puffs of hair that bathed her chest.

As his lips began their tender assault, Yuna slid her hands into his hair and decided that yes, talking could definitely wait until tomorrow.

To be continued….

Author's note: NaughtyLittleTidus will be running rampant this whole story, Yuna-08 . lol


	6. A midnight proposition

Author's note: Okay, I lied. Three parts for chapter 5. 5c will be up soon. This is 5b. Oh, and Macalania nuts = Macadamia nuts ;)

____________________

Tidus rolled onto his side, reaching for Yuna.

He was jolted to wakefulness when his palm came up empty, grasping only the sheet. Where was she? After a quick scan of the room and into the bathroom, he decided to check downstairs. This was really weird; Yuna slept like a rock. 

Tidus sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He guessed she was downstairs watching the S.V. or something. He walked across the room and pulled a tank top out of the drawer to wear. Looking down at himself, he quickly decided to wear some shorts in case Lulu was awake too. 

He yawned sleepily, and rubbed his eyes as he made his way out of the room and down the stairs. Once he got to the bottom of the steps, a frown crossed his face. 'Where _is_ she?' he thought, looking around the dark room. As his vision crossed the doorway, he noticed that her shoes were missing. He sighed, feeling a modicum of relief. He was pretty sure he knew where she was.

A light flicked on behind him in the kitchen. He wheeled around and saw a pajama-clad Lulu there, looking in the fridge. Smiling, he crossed the room toward her and leaned against the counter behind her on one arm. This was going to be funny. "Midnight snack, much?" he chuckled.

Lulu turned, obviously startled. "Sneak up on me again, and you'll regret it." She said. Her face was serious, but there was mirth in her eyes.

Tidus grinned wider, lifting his hands in surrender. "'You'd do best to remember that.'" He said, in a perfect mimic of her voice.

Lulu gave a small smile and continued her hunt in the fridge. "What are you doing up?" she asked, beginning to rummage.

"Looking for Yuna." He replied, leaning back against the cabinet. "But I think she's at the beach."

"She is, or she's taking a walk." Lulu stated, straightening and pulling out a cookie the size of a large sand dollar. 

Tidus' eyes widened as his stomach growled. There were cookies in there? _Giant_ cookies? He leaned over Lulu's shoulder to see where she'd been hiding something so big, but she blocked his view by turning around to face him. "They're mine," she said in a low voice that Tidus had come to associate with PregnantLulu. When he unconsciously cowered a bit, she smiled. "But I suppose you can have one."

"Thanks!" he smiled, reaching into the paper bag she was holding to grab one. Mmmm. Chocolate-chocolate chip with real Macalania nuts. Lulu probably ordered them straight from the shops in Macalania. Or she just plain ordered Wakka to get her some, Tidus thought with a smile.

He took a bite of the chewy cookie, and tracked Lulu's walk across the kitchen to sit down at the table. Her mouth was already full of half of that poor cookie before she sat down. He grinned a chocolatey smile at her amazing eating habits, and she surprised him by giving him one back. Laughing, Tidus watched as she patted the seat next to her in invitation. He walked over and sat down, taking another huge bite.

Lulu swallowed, and said, "Since I shared my cookie stash, you share."

Tidus frowned quizzically. "Share what?" he asked around a mouthful of food.

Suddenly, Lulu stood up from her seat and walked back across the room. "You know _what_." She said, reaching into the cupboard and pulling out two glasses. She opened the fridge and pulled out the Shoopuf milk jug. Tidus had gotten used to drinking milk from those giant creatures, but he still couldn't grasp why the plastic jugs were _purple_, of all colors. It was just wrong.

"Whatever it is that has her walking around at night again and you up looking for her." Lulu continued, breaking into his thoughts.

Another bewildered frown. "Again?" he asked.

Lulu nodded, pouring the milk into the glasses. "Yes, again." She replied, walking back to the table and sliding him a glass. She sat back down in her seat and took a drink. Then, "She used to do it all the time, after you had gone."

Tidus looked down, his appetite suddenly diminishing. Just thinking about how sad she was made him sick. Hearing about it was even worse. "Where did she go?" he found himself asking.

Lulu sighed, breaking her cookie in half. "Oh, I don't know for sure. The one time Wakka and I went looking for her, she was sitting on the docks….whistling for you."

Tidus sucked in a breath, closing his eyes. "After that," she continued, "we just let her be. I started just waiting up for her to get back instead of going after her." 

He hadn't known Yuna had felt so bad. Well he knew she had missed him horribly, but they never really talked about what she had done to cope. _Hearing_ it….just sucked.

"So tell me what happened."

Tidus looked up at Lulu's request to him. "Nothing happened," he said, still frowning. "I just woke up and she was gone. She's never done this before..."

She nodded, dipping the half of her cookie in the milk glass and taking a bite. "I mean," he continued, shaking his head, "I don't think I did anything to make her mad. We didn't have a fight or anything."

They sat in silence for a minute, Tidus racking his brain and Lulu finishing off her cookie and starting a second one. What had he done? He really couldn't think of anything. All they had done was talked and joked, and he had literally teased her body into sleep. A sudden swell of pride ballooned in his chest at the thought of how he had satisfied her. But why would she just up and take off? It made so sense.

"Was it the lovemaking?"

Tidus' eyes widened, and he felt a flush burn his cheeks. "Wha…uh…no…Lulu!" he cried, grimacing. Had she heard them? How fucking embarrassing.

A corner of Lulu's mouth lifted, and again, her eyes were dancing. Since he had been back, Tidus noticed how she had changed. Maybe it was because of Wakka and the baby. Maybe it was because she no longer had to see people she loved die because of Sin. Maybe one day they could talk about it. But whatever the reason, he liked the new Lulu. Even if she did embarrass the crap out of him.

"Tidus." She said, wiping her mouth with her napkin. "It's okay. We are all adults. I'm just trying to find out the source of the problem. I don't want any problems between you two, that's all."

Tidus looked down and decided to eat his cookie. This conversation was weird, but it then again, it wasn't. Maybe it was just because he and Lulu had never talked like this before. Not about sex, anyway. He took a gulp of his milk, and then decided to tell her. 

Scratching the back of his head, he said, "Lulu we haven't…you know….yet." At her raised eyebrow, he continued. "So that's not it. Why we're fighting I mean. But there's something I wanna tell you though."

She dipped her head at him, nodding for him to continue. "I um…I wanna ask Yuna to marry me."  He said quietly, looking back down at his glass of milk.

Lulu smiled a full grin at him, and reached out to touch his hand on the tabletop. "That is wonderful news," she smiled. "It makes me happy to know that she will be marry for love this time. And for herself, instead of the world."

Tidus raised his head and smiled widely. He finally understood what she meant the day she told him that cryptic statement about Yuna marrying for love. "Me too," he said. Then looked down again. "_if _she wants to marry me."

Why had she left? That sinking feeling was back in his stomach. Maybe she wanted someone else who was stronger and more deserving of her. He loved her so much, and her love was what tied him to Spira still. But maybe he wasn't enough. Maybe she wanted someone who knew how to be a good father to her children. Shit knows he hadn't had the best example in his old man. As a father or a husband to his mother. Maybe she'd say yes, but then leave him after she realized that. Maybe…

"She loves you." Lulu said, breaking into his morose train of thought. "She will say yes. Just like I did when someone gave me some advice."

The two locked eyes and shared a knowing smile. "Go ahead," Lulu prodded, shooing him with her hands. "Go get her and talk to her. I'll clean this up."

Tidus stood with raised eyebrows. "Are you sure?" he asked. "I'll help you."

Lulu chuckled. "Tidus, dishes will wait to be cleaned. Cleaning up your love doesn't wait forever. You'd do well to remember that."

"Thanks Lulu." He said, grinning. Giddily, Tidus nodded and leaned down and kissed Lulu's cheek. At her embarrassed chuckle and threat to tell Wakka, he ran out the door and down the porch to the beach. The night was gorgeous as always on Besaid Island. It was silent, except for the sounds of the waves lapping against the shore and the breeze blowing through the palm trees. As he flew down the beach barefoot, the crystal clear water lapped at his ankles. The stars reflected off the sea, creating a dazzling glitter effect. A beautiful night to sit and talk with Yuna.

Even if it was like, three in the morning.

"Whooo!" he yelled, raising a fist to the air and scaring the sleeping birds out of the trees. 

As he ran toward the Aurochs practice waters, he spotted a gorgeous brown-haired girl sitting in the sand. Her legs were folded under her, and she was looking up at the moon with her hands planted in her lap. Yuna had always been the closet dreamer, and now that she wasn't forced to be so serious, her wistful side came out more often. Another thing he loved about her. He wondered what she was thinking. 

Better yet, he wondered why she had left. 

Tidus slowed down to a walk, and approached her slowly. He was suddenly nervous; what if she was mad at him? But what had he done? He sighed inwardly. Whatever it was, Lulu was right. They would work through it together.

Once he was within three feet of her, he spoke. "Is there room for two out here?" he asked, shoving his hands into the pockets of his beach shorts. Why was he so shy around Yuna all of a sudden?

She turned, a surprised look on her face. Tidus smiled. He was two-for-two on the night in the scare category.

Yuna's surprised look slowly dissolved into a warm smile and Tidus felt himself falling in love with her all over again. He'd heard that cliché so many times: They danced and fell in love all over again. She hugged him and fell in love all over again. Blah blah, blah. He never understood it until he had felt it. As he looked into her beautiful green and blue eyes and felt her sweet smile chase his worries away, love was all he really could feel.

"Of course," she said warmly, still gazing up at him.

Tidus caught his mouth hanging agape, and closed it quickly and sat down beside her. When had he turned into such a sap? Actually, that was easy to answer: When the most beautiful girl in the world walked out of a Fayth Chamber and shook her brown tresses at him. Okay, so not really _at _him. But that was in that moment he felt something beyond lust brewing for her. And yeah, of course he was biased, but Yuna was beautiful to everyone. He was no different. 

Stretching his legs out in front of him, he leaned back on his hands and placed one behind her. He turned to face her and caught a whiff of her scent: shampoo, the ocean and flowers or something. The two sat in silence for a while, just taking in the scenery. Tidus loved being with Yuna like this; enjoying life and her company all at once. She really made him whole.

"Can I ask you something?" Yuna whispered, breaking the silence.

At her tone, the sinking feeling was back in his stomach again. He turned to look at her serious face. Shit, this was not going to be good. 

To be continued…..


	7. Maybe that's what love is

"Can I ask you something?" Yuna whispered, breaking the silence.

She turned to look at Tidus, whose worried-looking eyes met hers. "Ummm sure," he said quietly.

She looked back out at the sea, watching the rolling waves in the distance and the ebb and flow of the tide. Sometimes Yuna felt like her feelings paralleled the tide's journey of back and forth. Somedays, she thought she knew what she was doing in life, and other days, she really wondered if there was more of a purpose out there for her.

"Tidus, do you think that I am doing what's right?" she asked, looking back over at him.

He frowned, his expression bordering on grim. "What do you mean?" he whispered, dipping his head. "Like, being together?"

Yuna couldn't help it; she laughed. It started out as a chuckle, but turned into a full belly laugh. "Hey!" he cried, obviously flustered by her reaction.

"Sorry," she managed, still trying to suppress the giggles that were threatening to bubble out of her. "Come here."

Reaching out, she grabbed his reluctant hand and laced her fingers with his. Laughing at him hadn't been very nice, but she really hadn't expected that question from him. Why would he think that? Tidus scooted closer to her, albeit warily. He probably thought she was going to laugh at him again.  

Yuna sighed, mentally chastising herself for forgetting how sensitive Tidus was. She pulled his hand into her lap, sitting back and crossing her legs at the ankles. "Tidus, I didn't mean to laugh, but that is ridiculous." She said softly, focusing on his profile. "I love you so very much."

He faced  her, perking up a bit. "So you're not mad at me?"

It was Yuna's turn to frown. What was he _talking_ about? What was he thinking about tonight? "No, why would I be?" she asked, shaking her head.

Tidus looked down, and smacked his forehead with his free hand. "I'm such a jerk," he grinned. "I thought you left because you were mad at me. Like, I got up and you weren't there, so I came looking for you, to apologize."

"For what?" Yuna smiled.

He shrugged, pursing his lips. "I dunno," He chuckled, lifting his arms palms up.

The two shared a laugh, and she was relieved that the tension was gone. Tidus released her hand to scoot around behind her, and bracket her legs with his own. Yuna hummed happily as he wrapped his arms around her waist and she rested her hands on his upraised knees. She was glad he had come after her and lightened her melancholy mood. She just loved him so much.

"So what's on your mind, Yuna?" the love of her life asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.

She sighed heavily. "Everything, really." It came easier than she thought it would.

He nodded against her shoulder and face. "I'm all ears."

Yuna tilted her head back on his shoulder, focusing on the clear night sky. She didn't really know how to explain herself, but she would try. Tidus always made her feel better in any situation. Hopefully, this one would be no different. Besides, she was growing weary of keeping everything she felt inside. He didn't know it; but she had been coming out to the ocean many nights before and after his return to think. Maybe she could share some of her thoughts with him. Not all of them, because she really did not want him to worry, but enough to not shut him out.

"I just think sometimes that maybe I could be doing more with my life, you know?"

She couldn't see his face, but rather sensed a confused frown. "Yuna," he said evenly, "you literally saved the entire world. What more do you need to do for it?"

Ah, so he thought she was speaking of the teachings. Well, she was, but that wasn't nearly all of it. "Not for Spira. For me."

"Hmmm." Tidus hummed thoughtfully. She felt him lean back and take her long braid into his hands. "So what d'ya wanna do?"

She yawned, covering her mouth with one hand. "I don't really know yet." 

He wound her hair around his hand, and slowly released it. After a beat, he spoke. "Well whatever it is, I know you'll be awesome at it. You can do anything." 

'How does he know how to say all the right things?' she thought in amazement. Yuna squeezed his knees affectionately with her hands.  "Thank you." She said, a smile crossing her face.

He kissed the side of her neck, and went back to playing with her hair. "You're so very welcome, Lady Yuna," he replied in a wavering voice, mimicking the old priests in Bevelle who still looked upon her as a summoner. 

She giggled. "Tidus, they do not look at me like that," she chastised. He and Wakka were always teasing her, telling her that those priests wanted to have their way with her. "They are just nice to me, so I am nice back."

His hands were in her hair again, this time pulling all of her hair into a ponytail. "What-ever…." He drawled, and she swore she could _hear_ him rolling his eyes. "Those dirty old men, looking for a fine young summoner to uh…er, worship..."

Laughing, she rose quickly to her knees and wheeled around to face him. "Stop it!" she laughed, grabbing his wrists and pinning them to the sand. "You're awful!"

His laughter joined hers as he fought her off easily, pushing her onto her back in the sand. Yuna smiled up at him, as he pinned her to the ground with his torso and used his hands to immobilize her own behind her. "Okay Yuna." Tidus said calmly. "You're done abusing me, right?" 

Still giggling and squirming, she agreed. This really needed to stop. Her stomach was beginning to get sore from laughing so much. "Gooood," he said, standing and gently pulling her up with him. "Now let's go back to bed."

Tidus slid his hand into hers as they began to walk down the beach toward home. Yuna leaned into his side, taking in his masculine scent and listening to the steady clink-clink of his chain bouncing on his chest with every step they took. Looking up at him, she smiled inwardly at how shaggy his hair had gotten. His blonde bangs were falling over his eyes and the very tips were bouncing on his shoulders in the back as they walked. Tidus needed a haircut. She voiced her opinion, and he turned to look at her.

"You think so?" he asked, running his free hand through said locks. "Actually, you kinda do too, huh?" His hand went to her hair for the billionth time that night.

She nodded. "I think I will ask Paine if she'll cut it when she comes in tomorrow. Maybe she and Rikku will go shopping with us."

"But isn't it supposed to be a surprise?" His hand was back in his hair.

It was, wasn't it? "We could tell her that we're shopping for the Junior Aurochs' celebration party instead."

"Cool. She'll buy that." He replied, unsuccessfully trying to shake his hair out of his eyes. Yuna reached up and pushed it back for him. "Thank-you." He said sweetly. 

They walked for a bit, each lost in their own thoughts. As she looked out beyond the beach at the sparkling ocean and brilliant moon, Yuna wondered again if they were truly meant for each other. Like the moon and stars seemed to be. It felt that way to her everyday she woke up with him, but she quite often wondered how it was possible to be this happy with someone. Maybe this was what her mother and father had felt when they met and fell in love, despite the racial and status barrier they had. How rare was it, really, to come across someone in a world full of so many people, who makes your heart sing so loudly that you can't hear the doubts anymore? Maybe this is what true love really is. 

Yuna reached up with her free hand and ran it up and down Tidus' firm bicep. Leaning her head against his shoulder, she noticed they were approaching their home. "I love you," she sighed, closing her heavy eyes for a second. She didn't realize she was so tired.

"I love you back…even when you beat me." he said softly, planting a kiss on her chuckling face. Suddenly he stopped walking, and turned to face her. Yuna opened her sleepy eyes and looked up into his serious blue ones. "Hey, promise me something."

She bobbed her head, eager to hear what he had to say. "Just promise me that if you ever want to talk, or if something's bothering you, you'll talk to me about it, okay?" His face was so serious….

Yuna's lips parted as she stared up at him. She would really try. It was just so hard to have to tell someone your thoughts and share your feelings all the time. Especially sad ones that would make them worry. She really didn't want him to fret about her. But she quickly amended that thought when she realized that he was probably worried more when he woke up and she was gone. But she really would try to do better.

"This means," he continued, grabbing her other hand and bringing it out to hold between them. "no more leaving in the middle of the night and freaking me out. I mean, if you wanna be alone, just tell me so I don't worry. Deal?"

Yuna smiled. He was so cute when he was concerned though. She leaned up and gave him a peck on the chin. "Deal," she nodded. 

"Okay," Tidus nodded back, leaning down to kiss her. 

Yuna sealed the deal with a press of her lips to his, and he released one hand of her hands to start toward the house again. She walked with him, leaning into his side and suddenly wishing the bed was close so she could just fall into it and sleep, wrapped in Tidus' arms. It was going to ruin her plan to get up early for the day, but she decided sleeping in was definitely in order. Uncle Cid was bringing Rikku and Paine in, so they could hitch a ride to Bevelle with him more than likely. It would work out fine. And maybe, Tidus might wake her up in a good way since he was free tomorrow morning, too. 

Cheeks burning, she followed him into the house with anticipation brewing in her stomach.


	8. The same haircut?

Ha!  This Chap is rated R for some Yuna/Tidus lovins. Oh, and thanks for your comments and ideas, everyone. It makes the story so much more fun to write. 

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"Sway of your hips 'round rings true…"

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Tidus decided that flying in Rikku's new airship was the coolest thing ever.

Well, technically, it was Cid's airship, but the Al Bhed leader had unveiled it for Rikku's birthday and generously gave them all a ride to Bevelle. It was much like the first ship, but this one was a little smaller and a whole lot faster. Updated. Tidus' favorite feature was the glass-enclosed bow where he and Paine were sitting, enjoying the view of the clouds speeding by. Everyone else was upstairs, touring the ship.

Cid had said it would be a couple of hours till they got to Bevelle's shopping district, so he decided to cool his heels for a little while. 

The idea of the economic utopia that was now Bevelle was actually kind of funny. Before he had left, Bevelle was a holy city; the town composed of mainly the priests' large manors and the temple. Now it was a goldmine. Businesses had all come there at once and in the same area to compete with each other. The area was dubbed the "shopping district" because of the sheer number of markets and stores and attractions. It was kind of like the six-story mall back in Zanarkand, except it was all outside. Which was kinda cool as far as Tidus was concerned. Plus, they had a new blitzball team. There were just tons of people and lots of shops and food, and something was always going on. The new Bevelle was definitely his kind of place.

He leaned back into the plush couch he was sharing with Paine and tapped his fingers on the slick fabric. Rikku's favorite color was red, so of course, the velvet couch was red. Tidus chuckled. Red velvet couches in an airship. Only Rikku.

Suddenly, Paine stood, and Tidus watched her walk over to the window and cross her arms. He didn't really know Paine very well. Not from lack of trying, she just wasn't very…outgoing. Kind of quiet and reserved. She reminded him of Lulu. Maybe what she was like when she was younger or something. He had never discussed Paine's personal life with her personally, but Yuna had told him what she knew of her story. 

She'd explained to him that Rikku and her brother had found Paine walking aimlessly through the Sanubian desert with no memory. It was about a week after Yuna's Eternal Calm had begun and the restoration of the Al Bhed home was just beginning. She knew that she was 17, and she only remembered her birthdate, her name, and how to fight. Tidus thought that was pretty strange, but the weirdest parts were that she spoke fluent Al Bhed and had these incredible fencer fighting skills. But, she was obviously not Al Bhed nor was she your typical soldier. Even though, Rikku and Yuna befriended her and they had all become pretty close. 

Tidus saw in her what he had felt when he first came to Spira - that feeling of not fitting in, no matter how hard you tried and basically feeling lost and frustrated all the time. So he wanted to get to know her and maybe cheer her up sometimes. She could be really distant, but she had a good heart. He could tell by the way she was when she was with Yuna and Rikku, or by the way she looked up to Lulu so much. And according to Yuna, Paine had leant an ear and a shoulder for Yuna to cry on while he had been gone. 

Not for the first time, Tidus was glad that Yuna had so many good people in her life.

Pushing himself off the couch, Tidus walked over to stand beside Paine at the window. The view was really pretty. As far as he could see, there was green land running alongside the sea. A beach was here and there, and he could see a few boats and ferries on the sunkissed water too.  It looked like giant diamonds were floating all over the water. "It's nice, isn't it?" he commented.

He saw Paine nod slightly out of the corner of his eye. He continued. "I like this airship. It's so much nicer than Cid's ancient one. Smoother, too. Keeps me from puking and looking like a wuss." He joked, using his hands to represent turbulence.

Paine's small smile was contagious. She really was a pretty girl. In the elegant Lulu-type of way. His teammate, Jassu, had a crush on her. Not just a crush, an atomic crush. The guy yammered on and on about her all the time, and was always asking Tidus to set him up on a date. Yeah right. It was no secret either, because Paine knew it. He wondered if she just didn't care, or if she didn't like him, or maybe she was afraid of relationships. Jassu was a great guy too! He was kinda like Wakka, actually. And since Lulu and Wakka fit so well together, maybe…

"Hey, what do you think of Jassu?" he asked slowly, trying to sound neutral about it. 

"Nothing." She was already walking toward the elevator. Oh boy. He was a pro at pissing her off. Actually, it didn't take much.

He jogged after her. "Wait," he called, catching up and matching her stride. 

She turned her icy stare on him. "Um, I was just asking Paine. Sorry." He offered, scratching his head. 

The tilt of her head and a slow blink meant she accepted his apology. Phew. She walked onto the elevation pod and he followed. "So….my hair's getting long," he was trying to make amends as they began to ascend. "will you trim it for me?"

She leaned back against the rail, crossing one ankle over the other. "Sure," she said, locking her garnet eyes on his. "You and Yuna have the same haircut. I'll do them at the same time."

The pod reached the first floor, and the metal doors slid open. Tidus just stared after her, frozen, as she strode down the hall toward the cockpit. 

Wait. He and Yuna had the same haircut?

"It was a joke," Paine threw over her shoulder, disappearing between the sliding doors leading to the cockpit. 

Okay. Lesson learned. Don't ask about Paine about boys. Her sense of humor was almost lethal. Tidus scrubbed a gloved hand down his face. He really needed a nap.

He made his way down the lighted hall, and to the left, into the sleeping quarters. It was a moderately sized room, with 6 beds and nightstands between every other one. There were three beds to a side, and the entire room was red. Red walls, red beds, red everything. Of course. Rikku was such a weirdo. Tidus chuckled to himself. 

Thankfully, the room was empty and he was looking forward to a peaceful nap. Flopping down on his stomach, he toed his boots off. A deep, exhausted sigh escaped him as the boots clunked to the floor. Even though the entirely-too-red room was getting on his nerves, the bed was really comfortable. And he was so sleepy…

***

Tidus woke what seemed like moments later, to a pleasurable feeling in his shorts. He was on his back, and he cracked one sleepy eye open….then two in disbelief.

Yuna was on her knees between his spread legs, with her hand in his fly. It was the hottest thing he'd ever seen. She looked so shy and she was concentrating so hard that she hadn't noticed that he'd awaken. He wanted to close his eyes and just enjoy it that way, but this was too good. It was her first time to touch him so sexually, and he didn't want to miss a second. He couldn't remember why he hadn't let her do this before…

She was frowning her frown of concentration and he noticed a flush on her chest. A groan escaped him, in spite of himself. Yuna jerked to a startled stop, looking apologetic and guilty, like she had just committed a crime. Tidus grinned. She was so shy and in the cutest way. Another reason he loved her so much. "Don't stop Yuna." He whispered, encouraging her. "Keep going."

Slowly, and even more shy than before, she continued her infinitesimal movements. Her apprehensive eyes were locked on his, but he saw the want there that was pushing her to do something so…well, aggressive. Tidus smiled reassuringly at her and folded his arms behind his head. He knew Yuna had never done this before, and that was part of what was turning him on so much. But more importantly, he loved that she had woke him up like he had done for her that morning. 

Yuna continued her gentle ministrations, until Tidus' desire finally reached the boiling point. His back arched, and a low groan of Yuna's name escaped him. Sighing happily, he grinned a loopy smile as he relaxed spread-eagle into the bedding. His chest was heaving, and he was going to have to find a way to clean his shorts before they got to Bevelle, but he felt so good that he wasn't worried about it. "Yuna," his voice was strangely hoarse. "That was awesome."

She smiled the brightest smile he'd ever seen on her. "Really? Was it?" she asked, pulling her hand from his now-sticky shorts. 

He nodded. "C'mere babe," he said softly, reaching for her. 

Tidus hooked his hands under her arms and pulled her to lie beside him. Her eyes were dancing with happiness, but they had that brightness to them that was only there when she was wanting to be touched. Being her studly man and all, he decided with a smile that he would have to do something about that.

Leaning in, he pressed his lips to hers gently and then pulled away, leaving her mouth agape. A smile spread across his face as he sat up to pull off his shirt. She was going to need something to wipe her hands with. Tugging it over his head, he pushed the Aurochs practice shirt into her hands. "Here," he offered.

A frown creased her brow, but she took it and began to wipe her hands. Tidus leapt from the bed and padded over to the door to lock it. Man, it was good thing no had walked in yet. He'd been out of his gourd that he'd forgotten where they were and who could walk in on them. He could just imagine Rikku walking in and passing out or even worse, Cid or Lulu. Geesh.

"What are you doing?" Yuna called, sitting up straight in the bed. Her feet were brushing the floor as she stared at him.

Tidus grinned. The poor girl didn't know what he had in store for her, and he was looking forward to giving it to her. His plan had been to wait until the night he asked her to marry him to do this, but after her selfless performance moments ago, he decided to cheat just a little….


	9. Love for sale?

Okay kiddos. Chapter 7. 

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"The first cut is the deepest…"

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"Yunie?"

Yuna dropped the leather shoe she was holding and turned around. "Yes?"

Her cousin frowned, then peered at her through slitted eyes. "I said, why are you glowing like that?" she repeated, leaning back and crossing her arms in exasperation.

Yuna's gaze fell back down to the shoe rack as she tried casually readjusting her purse, shifting its strap higher on her shoulder. Could they tell? "What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

Paine reached over Yuna's shoulder from behind and grabbed her chin to turn her face toward her. Yuna was beginning to get embarrassed. Not that there was anything to be embarrassed about. But well…they were, they were just in the middle of the market and she was blushing, and now Paine was studying her with that look of hers…. people were starting to stare… _Why_ hadn't she just gone with Lulu and Tidus and Wakka? Yuna decided she needed to work on her decision-making.

Paine released her chin and grabbed her elbow to lead her away from the tent they were standing in. Once they were out of earshot of the store full of people, Rikku and Paine stood in front of Yuna. "Spill." Folded arms accompanied Paine's command.

Yuna shifted from foot to foot. Was her face really glowing? It had to be if they both noticed and even Paine was hassling her about it. Paine was weird like that. One second, she was being inaccessible and seemingly uncaring, and then the next; she was trying to indulge in girl talk. Why didn't she just…

"Spira to Yunie…Hellloooo…" Rikku was waving a hand in her face. "What is _up_ with you? You've been acting weird since we got here."

Yuna shrugged, raising her palms up. "I'm sorry," she said, "I'm just a little tired, I guess." She really was tired. Kind of. That was legitimate-sounding, right?

Obviously not, by the way Paine rolled her eyes and Rikku began impatiently tapping her booted foot in the patch of dirt next to the grass they were standing in.

Yuna sighed, resigned to her fate. She would tell them, but they had better not make of fun of her. It was a big deal. She doubted they would make a joke of out of something so meaningful to her. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you." she sighed, shaking her head. 

Rikku looked absolutely giddy. Paine was looking expectant. Why did she feel like she was about to reveal Spira's secret of origin? Oh well. She sighed again. Here goes. Glancing from side to side, she surreptitiously checked to make sure there weren't any eavesdroppers or anything. None. Good. 

Paine and Rikku huddled closer to her, and the three stood only about half an arm's length apart. "Something…something happened on the ship," She whispered.

"What?" Rikku whispered loudly. Yuna loved her cousin, but did she _know_ how to whisper?

Paine jabbed her in the ribs with an elbow. "Quiet!" she hissed, shooting daggers with her eyes.

"Why are you so violent?" Rikku grumbled, rubbing her side.

Yuna reached up and laid her hands on the soft crowns of Rikku and Paine's heads. "Would you two listen, please?" She turned their faces toward her. Goodness, those two acted like they were married sometimes.

Paine flourished her hand, waving her storyteller on. "Well," Yuna continued, "Tidus, he…kissed me."

"That's it?" Rikku cried, throwing her arms in the air. "You guys kiss all the time! Duh!"

Yuna reached out and clapped her hand over Rikku's mouth. A few women in the booth across from them turned to look. "Hush, Rikku!" she implored, whispering. Her cheeks were burning again…could she elaborate something like this? "No, he…he kissed me somewhere…else."

At the widening of Paine's eyes, and the way Rikku's mouth dropped, Yuna knew that they knew exactly what she was talking about. If they were surprised, then they should've seen _her_ reaction. Tidus had knelt on the floor in front of her, and just..well, went to town. Yuna had never felt anything like it. Come to think of it, she was surprised that her cries hadn't alarmed anyone on the ship.

Finally, Rikku giggled. The shock was gone. "Yunie, you are soooo bad." She laughed. 

"I wasn't expecting that, Yuna." Paine snorted.

Their laughter was contagious. It was a little funny, wasn't it? But when Rikku wrapped her arms around her middle and burst into a full guffaw, Yuna decided it wasn't that funny. "Maybe…maybe…" Rikku gasped, "You can go to the Priests manor and talk to them now."

Oh, not with the priest thing again. Yuna slapped Rikku's arm. "Stop it, or someone is going to hear you!"  

Rikku ignored her request, and kept laughing. She looked to Paine for help, but found none. Instead, Paine was covering her mouth and trying not to laugh.  "Yuna," Paine said shakily, "I do think you should pay them a visit. Maybe there's something you could help them with…" she barely finished the sentence before trailing off in that odd, hitching laugh of hers.

"Yeah, maybe you can…you can summon their aeons for them," Rikku panted, "Out of the Chamber of the Crotch." 

That was it. Rikku collapsed to her knees in the grass, keening with laughter. Paine stumbled away to lean against a tree, resting her forehead on her arm. They were laughing at her expense, but it was funny. They weren't really making fun of her, just having fun with her. 

"If you two are done being jealous," Yuna laughed, "I'll be over at the dress shop."  With all the laughing, she doubted they heard her but she left anyway. 

She made her way through the people, only stopping to take three pictures with a few little girls and one man, and giving about a dozen hugs. It had been a year since the Eternal Calm had begun, and while Yuna didn't expect people to forget what she had done, she did expect her popularity to level out a bit. Although, being an item with Tidus didn't help matters. Everyone loved him because he was the best blitzballer Spira had ever seen and he was so handsome. So put them together, and there was a crowd to follow. Yuna sighed. The idea of walking around, holding hands with him and stealing kisses every now and then was very appealing, but they had split up because the idea of holding hands with him and kissing him on the news tonight was not so much appealing.

Yuna began scanning over the dresses hung on the wooden racks outside the tent. There were all kinds, from cute to sexy to the kind of bizarre stuff that Rikku wore. Reacing out, she rubbed the material of a white skirt between her fingertips. She liked this one. It was long, but made of a soft, gauzy material that was see-through. Maybe she could wear it over her bathing suit when they went swimming. The dress was flung over her arm, and Yuna began walking toward the merchant when Paine and Rikku showed back up.

She turned and faced her two best friends, a hand on her hip. "Are you two done now?" she asked.

Paine just smiled and began walking around the store. Rikku launched herself into Yuna's arms. "I'm sorry Yunie," she offered, squeezing her tight. "It was just funny, that's all."

Yuna released her, then caught her skirt before it hit the ground. "What was so funny?" she asked, straightening.

Rikku shrugged. "I dunno, it's just weird knowing you do that stuff, ya know?"

Yuna was struck with a sudden thought. _Was_ she bad for it? She voiced her question to Rikku.

"Noooo," her cousin sang, grabbing her hand and leading her toward a rack of skimpy tops. "Not bad, you're just growing up, ya know? And you're in love and you're supposed to do that stuff with your man." She paused, scratching her chin. "Well, that's what I think."

Yuna was a little relieved. She never gave that aspect of her and Tidus' relationship much thought, but it was good to know that no one thought she was bad or anything. And her cousin's opinion mattered to her a great deal. "Me too," she agreed. 

"Buuut," Rikku drawled, "You never said what it was like."

Yuna shrugged, as an involuntary smile lit up her face.. "It was nice." She was dimly surprised at how easily her response came . "I really didn't expect it and for the longest, he wouldn't even let me do certain things with him, and then all of a sudden we were doing _this_, and it was so wonderful Rikku, and he is just incredible and I love him so very much…" she gushed, wringing her hands together in front of her.

The brightest smile lit up Rikku's face. She reached out and grabbed Yuna's hands. "When are you guys gonna get married?" she grinned, searching her face.

Another shrug. "I don't know, but he wants to take me on a trip next week and I think he's going to ask me then." She giggled. Yuna couldn't remember being this giddy in her young life.

Rikku began jumping up and down and squealing, causing a scene. What the heck, Yuna joined her, even though they looked silly. She was just so happy. All that worrying for nothing. Tidus loved her, and he had only been waiting for her to make the first move. Now she knew for sure, and she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Suddenly, Paine materialized and grabbed both of them by the hair. "Pay for your skirt and we're leaving," she said in a cool voice, over the painful cries of both Yuna and Rikku. Why _was_ she so violent?

Paine released the two, and Yuna rubbed her head where her hair had been pulled. "Ow," she grumbled, glaring over her shoulder at her friend as she walked toward the counter. Rikku stuck her tongue out at Paine and stalked out of the tent.

Yuna laid the skirt on the counter and greeted the cashier. "25 gil?" the portly woman smiled, "For you Lady Yuna, only _5_ gil."

Yuna beamed. "Thank you so much," she gushed appreciatively. This was another benefit to being so popular. Discounts.

As she reached to her side to get her purse, she noticed Tidus about four tents down, giving someone a hug. Well, speak of Sin... Yuna raised her fingers to whistle for him, but suddenly, his head tilted and it almost looked like…oh he really _was_ kissingthe person. She just stood, frozen for a second. What in Spira…

"Lady Yuna..."

Yuna's head snapped back around so fast it was almost painful. The cashier was still offering her gentle smile. "Are you okay Lady Yuna?" 

She nodded, even though she couldn't see the woman through the blur of her sudden tears. "I'm just gonna…go." She said in a voice that was barely there.

As she began to run, she could hear Rikku yelling for her to stop. She didn't know where she was going, or how long it would take, but she did know that her legs couldn't carry her there fast enough. 

To be continued….


	10. Welcome to Bevelle

Chapter 8! Reviews make me finish chapters sooner…hint, hint.. ;)

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"This sidestepping has come to be, a brilliant dance where nobody leads at all…"

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"Hey!" Tidus objected, jerking away from the scantily clad woman who had just kissed him. "I thought you just wanted a hug?" He pulled his fingers down the corners of his mouth.

The leggy, big-chested blonde just smiled coyly at him. "I did," she purred, "But then I wanted more."

Tidus just smiled bashfully and shook his head. She was hot and he was flattered, really. But he gladly belonged to the hottest woman in Spira, who was more than just good looks. And unlike some other blitzballers he knew of, he was no cheater. "Well I'm taken, ya know." He raised his wrist to her eye level and jingled the bracelet that Yuna had given him. 

She giggled and blinked slowly at him, her eyelashes fanning against her cheek.  "I know." That weird smile was still plastered on her face. "See you at your next game," she said, turning and sauntering away.

"Huh?" Tidus thought aloud, scratching his head. 

Geez. Bevelle women and Luca women were all nuts.

He sighed, and turned to continue his trek down the market row to the Café. The gang was supposed to meet there for dinner and hang out until Cid called Rikku on her wrist device-thingy. Yuna and Paine were supposed to keep Rikku occupied, while he, Wakka, and Lulu bought gifts and decorations for the party. However, he'd purposely split from Yuna, then from the group, to go pick up something he'd been waiting to buy for almost two whole weeks. 

His mind returned to his encounter a few minutes ago. Since he'd been back in Spira, women were always trying to hook up with him or basically maul him like that chick just did. What was her name? LeBranc? LeBlanc? Tidus shook his head. He couldn't remember. In his days back in Zanarkand, he loved getting that kind of attention from girls. Everyone thought he was a stud and he could get any girl he wanted to come home with him. But now, he was with Yuna and he only wanted Yuna. He was in _love_ with Yuna and he'd never loved a girl in his life. Besides, every other woman paled in comparison to her. If a woman was good-looking, Yuna was better looking. If a woman was smart, Yuna was smarter. And so on. No one could compare.

'Speaking of Yuna...' he thought, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out his recent purchase -- a small velvet box. Stopping in the middle of the crowd of bustling people, Tidus popped the box open to check out the ring for the umpteenth time. It was so freaking cool. He really didn't know much about rings, but he knew this one was special. And it would be to Yuna too. That's all that mattered anyway.

Removing the ring from its case, he held above his head, up in the sunlight between his fingers. The bright sun glinted brilliantly off the gems in the gold ring. Four Macalania gems surrounded one rare Gagazet diamond in the middle. He wanted to have the Macalania gems because that was where he and Yuna shared their first kiss, and it was the most special night of his life. The Gagazet diamond was just beautiful, 'like Yuna' he thought sappily, and it was mainly for show because no one he knew in Spira had one of the precious jewels in their _possession_, much less on a ring. Unless they were a Ronso, anyway. He wanted Yuna to be able to show it off.

'Special, but expensive.' He thought with a grin, slipping the ring and case back into his pocket. The ring itself was worth 600,000 Gil, but he gave Erchan the Jeweler 200,000 Gil plus season tickets behind the half line in the 20th row. (The best seats, of course because everything was at eye level.) And Tidus had also given him a game-worn, signed jersey of his to wear. It didn't hurt that Erchan was a nice guy, who loved Yuna, and was a big fan of his. Money really wasn't an object, since he was the highest paid blitzballer in the history of Spira and had the most endorsements of any player. But in the end, it was an awesome deal for everyone involved and he was happy with it. 

Hopping up the steps to the Café, Tidus was excited to see Yuna. He was going to tell her about what had just happened with that woman, and she was probably going to laugh. Wait. Would she laugh? Or would she be upset with him? Tidus stopped in his tracks in front of the wooden doors and held his chin between his thumb and index finger. He then concluded that he would tell her later after he thought about what to say.

He pulled one heavy wooden door open and walked into the Café. The aroma of cooked food and ale greeted him and his stomach growled. Man, he was so hungry. He hadn't eaten since this morning, and he'd let Lulu eat five of the seven eggs he'd scrambled. He chuckled to himself. Here, poor Wakka had to pay for her meal…and a half.

Tidus slowly turned his head from side to side, scanning the room for his friends. He hoped he wasn't early. The place was packed, and almost every table and booth was filled with large groups. Even the bar had patrons lined up all around. Man, how was he going to find them without looking at every table? He couldn't even see the tables outside in the back yet.

Just when he was resigned to searching the whole place, Tidus spotted Wakka's bright, flame-colored hair near the back of the room. He stepped down from the doorway and began making his way through the tables. Lulu spotted him first, and raised a hand to signal him. He waved back, quickened his pace, and kept his head dipped low. Not that he didn't love signing autographs, but he was in a hurry to see Yuna. 

Tidus' face fell when he got to the table and saw the empty seats. Yuna, Rikku, nor Paine was there yet. He guessed they were having a hard time buying things for Rikku when she was with them. 'Oh well' he thought, flopping down into the wooden chair next to Wakka and across from Lulu. They'd be along soon. 

"Where'd ya go?" Wakka asked, chewing on a bamboo straw.  

Lulu looked at him expectantly, raising a steaming mug to her lips for a sip. 'Probably her third one' Tidus thought. A sharp, bark of a laugh escaped him. 

"What?" Lulu asked, her brow creased in a frown.

"Du..uh, nothing," Tidus lied. She'd totally send him to the Farplane for real if she knew he was laughing at her. Quickly changing the subject, he added, "I went to buy something for Yuna."

Wakka's eyebrows crawled up his forehead. "What did ya get her?" he asked excitedly. "Where's it at?"

He began looking Tidus over, and looked under the table, presumably for a bag or something. Tidus grinned, then looked around to make sure no one was sneaking up on them. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the box, but kept his hands under the tablecloth. "Check this out, guys." 

The table wasn't that tall or wide, but the tablecloth reached the tops of his knees so it was easy to conceal what he was holding. They were going to _freak_ when they saw this thing. "Here, put your hand out under the table" he instructed quietly, unable to contain his smile. 

Tidus reached under the table and laid the velvet box in Wakka's palm. As he did, he saw his friend's eyes widen and his grin get wider as he realized what it was. Lulu leaned over, looking at Wakka's lap and her expression was a milder match of Wakka's. 

Wakka's lips pursed, and he let out a low whistle. Nodding and smiling smugly, Tidus leaned back onto the back two legs of his chair. Lulu's amber eyes met Tidus'. "How much _was_ this?" she asked slowly.

"Well, I had to wheel and deal, but it ended up costing me like 200,000 Gil plus some other stuff." He leaned forward in his seat, crossing his forearms on the table. "Do…do you guys think she'll like it?"

"You kiddin, ya?" Wakka laughed. "She gonna loooove dis."

"It is beautiful," Lulu agreed, taking another sip of her drink. 

Wakka handed the box back to Tidus, who slipped it back into his pocket. He was so glad they thought she would like it too. He knew it was very nice, and any woman who saw it would love to wear it, but Yuna wasn't like most girls. She was a simple woman with simple tastes in just about everything. Often, he and Rikku teased her, and called her an old woman because of it, but he secretly liked that about her. But being so undemanding, and almost low-maintenance, Tidus had been a bit worried that she wouldn't like such an expensive, gaudy ring. Wakka and Lulu had eased his fears.  Come to think of it, Lulu rarely wore her wedding ring because it was so expensive, and didn't want something to happen to it. Maybe Yuna would do the same, but he wanted her to wear it.

"When do you plan to ask her?" Lulu asked, interrupting his thoughts. She was tearing open a small package of crackers with her nails.

Tidus sighed, feeling a sudden nervousness. Every time he thought about asking her, his belly felt like someone was kicking blitzballs around in it. It was his plan to get down on one knee and do it right, but he feared he would get light headed and fall over or something embarrassing. That _would_ happen to him, he thought in chagrin. "Next week, after everything dies down some." He reached across the table and stole one of Lulu's precious crackers. "I'm taking her camping." He laughed, narrowly dodging a vicious smack on the hand from Lulu.

"Campin?" Wakka interjected with a laugh, "I think Yuna's pilgrimage was enough campin for all of us, ya?"

The three all laughed at Wakka's comment. It was true; he wasn't as big on camping as he had been when he'd lived in Zanarkand. Back then, living in a metropolis with more city lights than trees made you want to escape to the peace and quiet of the woods. But after living on the land for months, and sleeping on jagged rocks and bathing in ponds, being out in the wilderness didn't really hold the same appeal. Well, bathing in the ponds with Yuna had been pretty sweet.

"Not just camping," he replied, popping the cracker into his mouth. "First, I'm going to take her shopping and see that new orchestra she likes in Luca, then we're gonna go Shoopuf riding, then we're going to take chocobos out to Macalania and I'll ask her there." He held up his thumbs for approval.

His two friends nodded in agreement. "I think that is a wonderful idea," Lulu smiled warmly. "The site of your first kiss. How romantic."

Tidus quirked an eyebrow. How did she know that? 

Lulu looked pointedly at Wakka after her comment, raising her mug to her lips again. "Why you lookin at me like dat, Lu?" Wakka asked, turning to face her.

She set her mug down to the table and rested her hands in her lap. "Like what?" The two met eyes.

Wakka tilted his head and turned his chair toward his wife, leaning closer to her. "You don think I'm romantic?" he asked, pressing a thumb into his solid chest.

Lulu regarded him calmly and raised her hand to softly stroke the stubble on Wakka's jaw. "No." The drink was being sipped again.

A stricken look crossed Wakka's face, but slowly faded into his trademark boyish grin when he realized Lulu was kidding. "You wasn't sayin dat last night…" he leered, waggling his eyebrows. 

Lulu's eyes snapped over to meet Wakka's again, and she used one hand to pinch the larger islander's. Tidus laughed at their exchange. Their relationship was so weird to him. How could two people that were totally opposites be so much in love and get along so well? 

As Wakka leaned over and planted a kiss on Lulu's bare shoulder, Tidus wondered about he and Yuna's relationship. They _were_ pretty opposite. Like, Yuna was quieter and always thought things through while he acted first, thought later, and was almost as loud as Rikku. Although, he didn't think anyone could be as loud as Rikku and still have a voice left. 

He pushed his chair back onto two legs again, and crossed his forearms over his middle. Where were they? He really wanted to see Yuna, and he wanted to know what they had bought. The best thing about those three shopping together was that Yuna always came home with something skimpy and sexy that Rikku talked her into buying. She would tell him that she was never going to wear it, but of course, he would talk her into it. It was funny, most good-looking girls knew they were good looking and flaunted it. He honestly thought Yuna didn't know how beautiful she was. Inside and out.

Wakka and Lulu watched him as he got up from the table. "I'm gonna go outside and see if I can see the girls," he said, throwing a thumb toward the door.

The two were now sitting shoulder to shoulder, and it looked like they were holding hands under the table. "Alright den, remember where we sittin, ya?" 

Tidus nodded. "Okay." 

He made his way back through the clutter of tables, moving as fast as he possibly could without bringing too much attention to himself. He was vaguely surprised that no one had said anything to him yet, but he did hear whispering when he passed a few tables.

Once outside, Tidus stopped on the dusty wooden stoop to stretch. He raised his arms over his head and popped his back, squinting into the distance. He couldn't see any of the three girls among the throng of people, but he did spot Bickson and Abus a few feet away. Dicks. For the life of him, Tidus couldn't understand how a jerk like Bickson got the job to coach the junior league team in Luca. Scowling, Tidus shook his head. 'Well, that's politics, for you,' he thought. He hoped he was at least nice to the kids.

Getting antsy, Tidus decided to walk around for a bit longer. Maybe by the time he returned, the girls would be at the Café. There were a few shops he wanted to check out, anyway. Maybe he could find another present for Rikku besides the new boots he'd bought her. Hopping down the wooden steps, Tidus didn't make any eye contact with the two Lucans; he really didn't want any shit started with them today. However, as he walked by, he heard Yuna's name come out of Bickson's mouth. This, of course, stopped him in his tracks.

"Yeah, he probably doesn't even know what to do with a woman like that. If I had her, she'd be begging for more everyday." Bickson boasted. His arms were folded, and Abus was laughing at his raunchy comment.

Tidus walked up to them and unconsciously balled his fists at his sides. What the fuck were they talking about? 

"Well. Look what the fiends dragged in," Abus said, in some kind of cocky greeting. "Yuna's bumbling lover and the pathetic Aurochs star himself." The two bowed down in a mockery of respect shaking with raucous laughter.

Tidus' eyes narrowed. "I don't care what you say about me, but don't say anything about Yuna," he growled. "She saved _your_ sorry asses from Sin," he added, incredulous at their lack of respect.

Bickson raised his hands in mock defense. "Hey, I wasn't saying anything _bad_ about her. I was just telling my friend here," he patted the darker-complected Lucan on his back, "how much I would like a night with Lady Yuna. That's all."

"Not. Gonna. Happen." Tidus gritted out, growing angrier by the second.

Abus tilted his head, muscular arms folding. "Aw, we better leave him alone. He's getting pretty pissed."

Bickson laughed. "You're right," he sneered, turning his back to Tidus. 

Still angry, but thinking clearly, Tidus began to walk away. 'Yuna would tell you to just walk away, so do it,' he thought, turning on his heel. He ran a hand down his face, trying to wipe away the frown plastered to it. He was frowning so hard his face was getting sore. Breathing deeply, he felt the anger start to assuage a bit. He would take care of them the next time he swam onto the gamefield. 

Just as he was taking his third step away from the Café stoop, he heard Bickson call his name. Turning, Tidus regarded him with disdain. "What?" he spat.

"Tell Lady Yuna that I would love to show her my…appreciation the next time she comes to Luca. I'll leave my window open." He grinned widely, and slapped a high-five with Abus.

That was it.

Red-hot anger burned in Tidus' stomach and before he even knew it, he'd strode over there and popped Bickson to the dirt. The loudmouth was moaning, rolling on the ground and covering his suddenly bloody nose with his hands. The other patrons that had been socializing on the stoop had scattered, and frightened women and children were screaming and yelling for the Warrior Monks to stop the fight. Tidus was oblivious to this; he kept hearing Bickson's words in his head over and over like a mantra. "Get up!" he barked, not ready to finish this fight. He'd been waiting to hit that asshole since the first day he met him in Luca and he was going to make this worth it.

Suddenly, a hand was on his shoulder and when he turned, Abus' fist connected with his eye, causing him to see a burst of white light. The unexpected force of the sucker punch turned Tidus' body completely around, and he fell to his knees. Recovering quickly, he stood and turned just in time to see Abus flying into the wall next to the steps of the Café. The airborne Lucan smacked into the solid wood structure, then slumped down and grabbed his head.

Confused, Tidus wheeled around and saw Kimahri standing there with his arms crossed. 'Thank goodness' he thought, walking toward his friend. What was he doing there? He lifted a hand to his quickly swelling eye. It was gonna be ugly soon, and he needed to ice it. Tidus looked back over his shoulder at Bickson, and saw Abus helping his teammate up and stumbling their way through the jeering crowd that had gathered. Yep, that little confrontation was definitely gonna make the Sphere tonight. Tidus moaned to himself. Yuna was going to kill him for fighting like that.

As he approached Kimahri, he spoke. "Do you always have to be such a stud, Kimahri?" he joked, in spite of the throbbing pain in his eye.

"Kimahri always stud." The Ronso said, grabbing Tidus by the bangs and pulling up to look at his face.

"Ow!" Tidus objected, but moved his hand nonetheless so his friend could survey the damage.

"Tidus need ice. We go inside," Kimarhi rumbled.

"Ya think?" Tidus mumbled sarcastically.

The two started up the steps, and Tidus saw a dark figure out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and saw Paine, walking toward him with a purpose. Where were the other two? "Hang on, Kimahri," he said, walking back down the steps to meet her. Man, was something wrong?

It didn't register to him that she had punched him until he fell onto the ground on his back. The crowd gasped, and his last thought before he lost consciousness was that he was going to look like a raccoon with two black eyes….

To be continued….


	11. Coping skills

________________

"Thought you were mine…oh, thought I was yours."

________________

Yuna sat next to Tidus' bedside, watching him sleep and trying to recall a time when she had been this angry with someone. 

It really wasn't the anger that was the hardest to deal with. She knew anger and how to cope with that. This was a heavy, sinking feeling that made her knees weak and her thoughts run wild. It was a desperate sadness; full of despair and uncertainty. However, the anger was the most predominate feeling. 

Tidus' head turned toward her in his sleep, and he mumbled her name. The cool wet compress fell with a plop from his forehead to the pillow with his movement. Without thinking, Yuna leaned over and picked up the damp cloth, replacing it gently onto his head. A sigh escaped her at the sight of his battered face. Paine must've hit him pretty hard to make a black eye like that. His left eye was pretty red, with just a smear of purple bruising under it. But his right eye was the worst; it was puffy and purple bruising lined the entire perimeter of his eye. Why did he let Paine hit him twice? 

He did deserve it though.

Yuna recoiled inwardly at her sudden thought, and unconsciously covered her mouth. These emotions were bringing out a whole new side of her that she didn't like. She felt like an angry housewife whose husband was a lying cheater. She sighed. Actually, she was all those things expect the wife part. 

Closing her eyes, Yuna pushed herself up from her knees and walked toward the window. Kimahri had brought Tidus to the ship, unconscious. Without thinking, she had run to him and cast her strongest Curaga spell on him. The spell was so strong that he had fallen into a deep sleep. Yuna was vaguely surprised that her magic had worked so well considering she hadn't cast one single spell since her fight with Sin. But nevertheless, Tidus was okay, and she wasn't. 

The clouds were speeding by out the window, and Yuna walked closer to see out. She lifted a hand to brush aside the heavy red curtain from her view. Her feelings were a lot like this. Flying every which way. Close enough to identify, but too fast to hold onto and examine. A thought here, a tug on her heart there. She lifted her free hand to rest over her heart. What was going _on_? It was so confusing. Life was so confusing. Ever since she was a little girl, she knew she would die saving Spira. It was a matter of fact. Nothing could change that. But he changed it. Changed her. Now, there was no plan for her life. He'd showed her how to live life one day at a time, and get the most out it. But she always thought they would live their lives together. Intertwined. They were soulmates, right? But now...

Yuna took a deep breath, fighting back stinging tears. How could he? She was so sure that things were perfect between them. Well, not perfect, but incredibly wonderful and worth fighting for. It had never occurred to her that he felt differently. 

"Yuna."

Startled, she released the curtain and turned quickly at the gentle sound of Tidus' voice. He slowly pushed himself up in a sitting position to rest his back against the headboard. Two bare hands gingerly inspected his face, then fell listlessly to the bed at his sides. She had taken his gloves off earlier. A dull thump accompanied his head falling back against the tall headboard. "You're mad at me....huh?" His sleep-husky voice seemed loud in the previously silent room.

Yuna's eyes fell to the floor. They'd never really had an argument about something like this. She didn't know what to say. But they had always been honest with each other. Well, until now. Maybe she shouldn't tell him how much he hurt her. But maybe she should for the sake of their relationship. But what did he care? He was out kissing other girls. She just wanted to be mad at him. 

"I take that as a yes." She heard the sigh in his voice. 

They fell into an unfamiliar, uncomfortable silence. Yuna kept her post across the room, and turned to face the window again. She lifted her fingertips to rest on the cool glass. If only she could just hop on a cloud and fly away from this. Just long enough to figure out what to _do_. This just made no sense. Her feelings were running crazy, and she wanted to scream at him and cry at the same time. But doing either would let him know how much he had hurt her. She decided she didn't want that.

The bed creaked, and Yuna turned to see Tidus sitting on the edge of the bed now, looking at her intently. Well, out of his better-looking eye. He bit his lip, then spoke. "Can I just explain what happened?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head quickly. 'Explain what?' she thought. There was nothing to explain. She knew how he kissed. Why should he explain how he kissed someone else? The mere thought made her stomach roll. "I-I don't want to know what happened," she said in a small voice. "I saw enough."

His eyes widened at that. Yeah, she'd seen what he had done. He probably thought she hadn't. After that awful sight, Rikku and Paine had tracked her down almost a mile outside the market. She'd been just running and running to try and get that awful image out of her head. Finally, her legs had given out and she had fallen to her knees in tears. Through gasping breaths, she had told her friends what she'd seen, and once Paine stormed off back toward the market, there was no question in Yuna's mind as to where her friend was going and what she was going to do. And at the time, she didn't want to stop her.

He continued to bite his lip, then: "Will you just sit down for a sec?" his voice was gentle, and he motioned toward the chair she'd been sitting in earlier, next to him. "Please?"

Yuna complied without a word, but she lowered herself into the chair next to the window. Sitting close to him was not an option. She knew his proximity would draw her in, and she needed to be angry with him. He needed to know how he had betrayed her. Taking a deep breath, Yuna folded her hands in her lap. She watched as Tidus leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and regarded her solemly. He looked sorry, but for the first time, Yuna felt like being sorry was not gong to be enough.

"Yuna, I.." he trailed off, searching for words. "I didn't mean for it to happen. It just did."

She wanted to roll her eyes. "It just happened? Just like that?"

He turned his palms up. "Well, yeah. I mean, it's not like I meant for it to happen. I kind of didn't think before I acted, ya know?" He pushed his hair out of his eyes.

What?? He was being so casual. Like he dropped a mug and broke it. Not like he'd broken her heart. The anger and hurt and frustration were all simmering at the surface, ready to explode. Yuna stood quickly, unable to help herself. How could he? "But why?" she asked, her voice wavering. "Why would you do such a thing?"

He sighed heavily, ducking his head. "I don't know Yuna. I'm just-I'm sorry. I know that. I didn't want to make you mad at me. I hate this." he trailed off in a voice that was almost a whisper.

Yuna shook her head, making two fists. She really wanted to throw something or throw _him_. Mad at him? How about betrayed by him? Oblivious to her thoughts, he kept talking. "I guess it's one of those stupid guy things, ya know?" he shook his head a little, frowning. "Like to be macho or something. I dunno."

"Macho?" 

His scratched the back of his head. "Well yeah. Guys just do dumb stuff like this sometimes. To show that they're cool or something." He lifted his eyes to hers. "I knew you'd be mad at me, and I thought of you and I tried to walk away, but then I just let my emotions get out of hand. I just kind of...acted," he explained. "I mean, to me, it's not a really big deal. But I know it is to you, and I'm sorry I made you mad, Yuna. I am." his voice was imploring now. 

But at that last statement, Yuna decided she couldn't hold the conversation anymore. He was being ridiculous. How could he not care about her feelings? Did he really love her? Spira help her, he _had_ to. They had almost died for each other, lost each other, and now they were given a chance that many people she knew never got. She knew Kilikan widows who would die for two seconds with the ones they lost. And Tidus just treated this gift like nothing. She felt a tear slide down her cheek, and she turned her back to him. He didn't deserve her tears, no matter how much she loved him. "Oh, Yuna no. Please don't cry. I'm so sorry. It'll never happen again-"

"Do you love me?" she interrupted him, swiping at the tears on her face.

She felt his warm hands slide up her back to cup her bare upper arms. "Yuna," he whispered brokenly, "You know I do. Please let's just talk this out. It'll never happen again."

He was crying, she knew it. And it tore her up inside. She wanted to turn in his arms and hold him, and tell him that everything would be okay. But she didn't. She wouldn't. The image of him with his arms around someone else, kissing them with the same lips he used to tell her he loved her....all lies.

At the thought, Yuna broke free of his hold and left the room. As she walked down the corridor, against his cries of protest, and into the elevation pod, she broke down, crying in hiccups. What was she going to do?  

Once she got to the lower floor, Yuna began swiping angrily at her face. She told herself she wasn't going to cry and she did. But how could she not? It just hurt so much. 

She walked slowly out the elevator into the observation room. Lulu was sitting on the plush velvet couch, waiting. Sniffling, Yuna sat down beside her friend. She really didn't feel like talking, and she felt embarrassed for crying in front of Lulu. But instead of talking, or asking questions, her friend opened her arms, and Yuna let herself fall into them. She felt Lulu's hand stroking her hair softly, and the other was rubbing her back reassuringly. "The morning always comes after the dark, Yuna." she said softy.

Yuna said nothing, instead closing her eyes and absorbing the loving words from her friend. Maybe she was right; things would be clearer tomorrow. Maybe not better, but clearer. 

She could only hope so.

To be continued….


	12. One wish

Chapter 10a is up baby, yeah! Enjoy, and thanks for the great reviews, I appreciate every single one! 

___________________________

"Who am I without you now…."

___________________________

It had been a whole two days, and Yuna still wasn't talking to him.

Everyone else was being pretty cool; basically leaving his and Yuna's problems to him and Yuna, but Rikku was still pretty upset with him and Paine would probably kill him on sight. After the craziness in Bevelle, Cid had dropped him, Wakka, Kimahri and Lulu off in Besaid. Yuna had gone on back to the Al Bhed Home with her cousin and friend, without a word to him. It hurt, and he missed her, but Tidus thought it may do her some good to get away from him and cool off. He still couldn't understand why she was this angry about him getting into a fight.

The episode at the market did make it onto the sphere, but thank goodness it showed Bickson and Abus as the instigators. He hoped Yuna saw it, but she didn't watch much s.v. anyway, and he doubted she was doing so at the Al Bhed home.

"Ey Tidus!" 

Tidus refocused, scooping up his blitzball and tossing it to Wakka. He waded his way closer to his friend. "You thinkin bout Yuna again, ya?" he asked, tucking the ball under his arm and making his way out of the water onto the shore.

"Yeah," Tidus answered solemnly, following.

The water sloshed around his knees, then down to his shins and over his feet as he made his way onto the sandy beach. Tidus curled his toes in the sand, then straightened and pushed his wet hair out of his face. Too bad Paine had kicked his ass before he got his haircut, he thought with a bit of chagrin. He never knew a woman could hit that hard. Actually, he would've been really embarrassed if it were anyone but Paine. 

He watched as Wakka began gathering the balls and scooping them into the mesh ball bag. Practice had been over for almost half an hour, and all the guys had already left. He and Wakka were supposed to be gathering the balls and goals. Supposed to be, but he couldn't get his mind off Yuna. Tidus let himself go on autopilot as he helped.

This really sucked. Besides the fact that she was royally upset with him and he didn't know if she even wanted to be with him anymore, Tidus missed Yuna. He missed her smile, the way she always smacked his arm when he made fun of her, he missed kissing her, he missed hugging her, but most of all, he missed them. Together. He missed the security that she gave him, and he missed being able to tell her he loved her and to hear it back. But even more than those things, he hated sleeping in her bed, surrounded by her scent, but alone.

Thinking back to the previous day, Tidus remembered how horribly he had played in their first scrimmage of the summer league. The Djose Devastators had come down to play an exhibition game, and Tidus had been entirely too preoccupied to play. After missing tackles, unsuccessfully executing his abilities, and missing easy shots on goal, he had pulled himself out of the game. Thank goodness the boys had picked it up and came out of the game 5-4, thanks to a clutch goal by Letty. There wasn't a time he could remember playing that bad in a game. It was insane; he couldn't help but think about her and how she wasn't there to see him play. It had been awful. Not to mention the commentators had a field day with him all day, and then on the Sphere that night.

Tidus groaned to himself, allowing his shoulders to slump. What was he going to do? How could he make things right? He felt that Yuna was overreacting, but nonetheless she was still upset with him. He thought she was just mad, but when she cried on the ship, he knew it was more than that.  Even though he'd tried once, he just wished for a chance to explain. To make her see that he knew fighting wasn't right, and having a half-cocked, brawling boyfriend was definitely not cool, but also that fights do happen. He was defending her honor for pete's sake!

"Gwah!" he yelled, punting his ball far out into the sea.

"Ey!" Wakka shouted, walking over to him dragging the ballbag through the sand.

Tidus released a slow breath, trying to release some of his frustration with it. He just wanted Yuna to come home. 

Wakka laid his palm on Tidus' shoulder, and pushed down with force. "Hey!" he cried, plopping down into the sand on his bottom.

His friend sat down beside him. "Man, you gotta tell me what's goin' on. You guys gonna be alright?" he checked, raising one knee to rest a massive arm on.

Tidus threw himself onto his back in the sand. The setting sun was bright enough to beat down on his face, and he squeezed his eyes shut in spite of the painful black eye he had. His left one was almost healed, but the one Paine had hit him in was still pretty tender. "I don't know, man," he mumbled.

"What did ya do?"

He threw a forearm over his eyes. "She's mad 'cause I got into that fight with Bickson and Abus the other day."

"You sure? I don think Yuna would be dis mad bout you fightin."

He wasn't the only one. "Me neither, Wakka, but she's gone and I haven't talked to her in two _days_."

Wakka grunted his response. Tidus reached up to absently scratch his bare chest with his other hand. "She wouldn't even let me explain what happened," he said, "I tried to tell her that guys just do dumb stuff like this sometimes to be like, macho. You know, not backing down. Am I right?"

"Yaaaa," Wakka drawled slowly. "Dat is true. But we both know how Yuna feels bout senseless violence, especially since the pilgrimage."

Tidus did know. Since he'd returned, he had learned that Yuna could not stand fighting. She had revealed to him that her strong aversion had been stemmed by his sacrifice to defeat Sin and rid Spira of sorrow forever. She hated the fact that people still physically fought each other, when life was so certain for them now. No random attacks on villages, and more senseless death. Obviously, people were still murderers and thieves, but there was nothing that could be done about that. Even still, Yuna was Yuna and she wanted everyone to be happy.

"I know, but she didn't let me tell her the _reason_ I was fighting." 

"What's dat?"

Tidus sighed. Finally, he could explain to someone. "Well, I walked outside the Café to look for the girls, remember?"

"Ya."

"So I was standing on the porch, and I saw Bickson and Abus." He explained. "Freaking Bickson was talking about how he wanted to…you know…with Yuna and all this stuff and it just pissed me off."

"Whaaat?" Wakka exclaimed, the surprise evident in his voice. "Man, I woulda popped him one too, ya?"

Tidus sat up, propping himself up on his hands. "Yeah! See?" he said, squinting through the sun at his friend. Finally someone understood. "But that's not even where it ends, Wakka. I thought of what Yuna would say to me and how she would be mad, so I walked away."

A crease appeared between Wakka's brows. "But if you walked off, how you get into a fight?"   

"Well, as I was walking away, Bickson yelled my name, I turned around, and he said to tell _Lady Yuna_ how he'd love to show her his _appreciation_. Next thing I knew, POW! I socked him a good one." Tidus smacked his fist into his palm for effect. "Then," he continued, "Abus sucker punched me and then all of a sudden Kimahri was there, and he tossed Abus into a wall."

He purposely left out the part that Paine had punched him out. Having Wakka laugh at him was not going to help matters anyway. "I mean, it all just happened at once. I wasn't thinking straight. I told her I just kind of…acted. Now I wish I would've told her the whole story anyway."

Wakka reclined back onto one elbow, facing Tidus. Not for the first time, Tidus absently wondered how Wakka's hair stayed straight up like that, even when it was wet. "Brudda, dat is nuts," the islander commented. 

Tidus lowered himself back into the sand on his back. "I know man, but I don't know what to do." He folded his arms behind his head, closing his eyes. "I told her I was sorry and everything, but she's still gone. I want to go see her, but I know she doesn't want to see me. I'm just confused I think."

And he was. He was sorry he'd upset Yuna, but he was a little aggravated by her weird lack of reasoning the other day. Overall, he was still madly in love with her, and he wanted to marry her, but they needed to work a few things out first. If she would even talk to him again, he thought dejectedly.

"You and Yuna are gonna have problems, ya?" Wakka said, waving a hand. "Me and Lu have 'em all da time." 

Tidus perked up. "Really?" They did?

Wakka laughed. "Of course!" but then he sobered quickly. "Actually, we havin one right now."

"Why?"

He just sat for a beat, then began. "Well," he started, "you know I never had a Dad I can remember, ya?"

Tidus nodded.

"It was always just me, Chappu, Lu and Yuna. And Kimahri too." He explained. "But us kids, we were always together." 

Wakka folded his legs and began drawing in the sand with a finger. "All my life I wished I had a Dad like da other kids. I always felt like something was missin in me, ya? Den Chappu went off and got killed and me and Lu kinda clung to each other for strength," he explained. "Since den, I never wanted to let Lu down. I wanted her to be proud of me. I think I wanted to protect her." He looked up at Tidus. "But brudda, you and me both know Lu don' need protectin."

 Tidus laughed, and watched as Wakka gazed out into the see wistfully. "So now we together and everything should be going good, ya? But I told her last night that I'm worried bout bein a father."

This floored Tidus. He peered up at Wakka's profile, bewildered. "You are?" he asked.

A nod. "Ya."

"Wow," Tidus exhaled. "So what did she say?"

Wakka reached up and scratched his head. "She didn't say anything," he answered. "She just went upstairs and went to bed. But I think I let her down."

Tidus knew how important it was to Wakka to make Lulu happy. They'd never talked about it that much, but he could tell in how hard he tried all the time and how much he was willing to do to for her. But how could he think he wouldn't be a good dad to his kid?

"But Wakka, you'll be a great Dad!" he exclaimed. "The Junior Aurochs love you and I think knowing that it you and Lulu's baby will make it ten times better!" He reached up and patted Wakka's sandy arm. 

A huge grin split Wakka's face. "You think so?" 

Tidus pushed himself into a sitting position. "Well yeah!" he grinned. "As for letting Lulu down, I think maybe she might be kind of nervous too, ya know? Maybe it just makes her nervous that you're nervous."

"Hmm." Wakka hummed, grabbing his chin in thought. "May-be. We gonna talk tonight anyway, so it'll be alright." He reached over and gave Tidus a rough nuggie, which he found hurt worse with wet hair. "Tanks brudda."

"Ow! You're welcome!" Tidus laughed, pushing Wakka's hand away.

"But you still got your problem with Yuna, ya?"

Tidus' smile fell. "Yeah," he sighed, falling back onto his back again. "This has just been a crazy week, man. First I decided to buy Yuna's ring, which took forever for me to figure out which one to get her. And when I did, it took forever to make a deal to get it and get it made, then some crazy chick just laid one on me at the market the other day, then I got into a fight, and now Yuna won't talk to me." He realized he was rambling and stopped.

"Some chick kissed you?" Wakka chuckled. "Who?"

Tidus shrugged. "I dunno. She said she wanted a hug from me, so I gave her one, and when I tried to like, pull away, she grabbed my face and kissed me."

Wakka laughed. "On da mouth?"

"Yeah, it was nuts. I told her I was taken, but she didn't care." He shook his head in vexation at the memory. "Women in Bevelle are just insane, man."

The two shared a laugh and Tidus relaxed back into the sand. The sun was setting beautifully; a burning red ball melting into the ocean against the backdrop of a kaleidoscope sky. It was purple at the top, and slowly faded into an orange toward the sea. It looked like it was on fire… 

His last thought reminded Tidus of the night in Macalania, when he was describing the Zanarkand sunset to Yuna. He groaned, covering his eyes with his hands. If he had one wish at that moment, it would have simply been to be sitting with Yuna, watching that sunset. His stomach felt like it was sinking. How had things gotten so wrong?

He heard Wakka rise to his feet and pick up the ballbag. "You gonna stay out here?" he asked.

"Um, yeah. I'll be home in a few." 

"Alright brudda. Don think too hard. Everything gonna work out. You'll see."

Tidus moved a hand from his good eye and peered up at Wakka. "Thanks, Wakka." He replied.

Wakka nodded at him, then turned and walked away. Tidus watched his friend began dragging the giant ballbag down the beach, leaving a trail in his wake. He turned his head to look back at the sun setting, and the sky falling into dusk. It had been a pretty long day and tough practice, and Tidus didn't realize how sleepy he was until he relaxed. His vision blurred a bit, and he allowed his eyes to slip shut…

"Ow!" The sound of his own voice woke him up. Something had poked his side.

Rolling over and grabbing his side, Tidus found his eyes level with a pair of black leather stiletto boots. He looked up slowly and saw Paine staring down at him, her arms folded, with her head cocked to one side and looking very impassive.

Shit. Not again…


	13. Friends don't let friends

Chapter 10b is up! Thanks to everyone who takes the time to review every chapter. I promise, I read every single one with appreciation. 

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Tidus pushed himself up onto his knees, then to his feet. His mother had taught him to never hit a woman, and he never had, but if Paine tried to punch him this time, he didn't know what was going to happen.

Sky blue met ruby red; the two stood there on the beach at dusk, in a stare down. Heaving a sigh, Tidus broke the contact first, and sat back down in the sand. It didn't seem like Paine was going to hit him or anything, so he figured it was okay to let his guard down. A small white seashell caught his eye, and he picked it up to study it. "If you came here to rub it in, there's no need to," he found himself saying. Why else would she be there?

"I came to talk." 

He threw up a hand in her direction. "So talk," he mumbled, rolling the smooth seashell between his fingertips.

Much to his surprise, Paine lowered herself to the sand beside him. He watched as she brought her knees to her chest and hugged them, fixing her eyes on the horizon. The wind carried her dark bangs into her eyes, and she pushed them back. "I'd rather you talk, actually," she requested. "Tell me about your feelings for Yuna."

Huh? Tidus looked over at the woman who had punched him without a second thought only two days before. He figured she had done it for Yuna's sake, but who understood Paine anyway. "What do you care?" he grumbled, turning away and throwing the seashell into the rolling tide.

"Yuna is one of two people I call 'friend'. She's upset. I care." she explained slowly.

Paine was looking at him in what seemed like genuine interest, and her features had softened a little. He decided it was okay to share a little with her. Maybe it would get back to Yuna and she would come home. Or send for him to come to her. _Something_.

"All right," Tidus agreed, stretching out, crossing his legs at the ankles and leaning back on his elbows.

He couldn't figure out where to start because there was so much to say. "Okay. I love Yuna. She's like, everything that matters to me. I mean, blitzball and my friends matter, but Yuna is the most important." Tidus found that once he started talking, it became easier and easier, and the emotions he carried in his heart became words that just flowed seamlessly from his mouth.  

He looked up at the giant half moon, and let the random memories of Yuna suffuse his mind. "I love Yuna because she's the perfect person. She's the only person who ever loved me for no reason."

"Your parents must have loved you," Paine supplied.

Tidus shook his head. "That's not what I mean. My parents loved me because I was their kid. Zanarkand loved me because I blitzed like my old man. Girls loved me because I was some trophy or bragging rights or something, ya know? But Yuna loves me just because she wants to," he explained.

"So you love her because she loves you, then."

"That's part of it, but not even close to all of it. I guess you know about the whole pilgrimage and everything right?" he asked, brushing sand off the front of his swimming trunks.

"Mmm," she affirmed.

"Well, when I first came to Spira, I didn't care about it one bit. I just wanted to go home. I was all like, 'Screw Yevon and the teachings' and all that. But when I met Yuna, and I learned about what she had to do, I tried to change her mind. But that didn't work." Tidus shook his head at the memory. "I didn't know what we were up against or even what I was doing, but I knew I was falling in love with this girl. This holy summoner-daughter-of-a legend-girl," he laughed, looking over at Paine's profile.

A small smile appeared on her lips and Tidus continued. "Well, once I knew that we would have to beat Sin to save Spira, I still didn't care about this place. But when I was with Yuna and I thought about how she made me feel, and how many lives she touched, that's all I could think about. I went along on the journey to find myself, but I wanted to save Yuna." A lovesick sigh escaped him. "I just looked at her, and I saw the only thing about Spira worth saving. She was the only thing I felt was worth dying for."

Tidus exhaled sharply through his nose. "I've never loved a girl in my life, Paine. Ever." Paine's disbelieving look spurred him on. "Seriously! Well besides my Mom anyway. Yuna just makes me feel like I'm worth something. Even my Mom couldn't do that," he finished in a near whisper.

It was so true. His mother always ditched him when his old man came around, and he always felt like he was baggage to her. She was his mother, and he knew she loved him, but he still felt like he was some kind of burden to her. Yuna's love was honest and true. It was something he had never experienced, and never wanted to experience with anyone else.

"You didn't do it, did you?" Paine's voice interrupted his train of thought.

"Huh?" Tidus wondered aloud. 

"I can see it in your eyes." Paine fixed her stare on him. "You didn't cheat on Yuna."

What? "What are you talking about?" he asked, frowning. 

Paine's expression matched his. "Yuna. I'm talking about her seeing you kiss that woman in the market," she said rather brusquely.

In his short life, Tidus had found that there were times when clarity was so crisp that it felt like being kicked in the chest, with it's overwhelming force. 

This was one of those times.

Tidus jumped up, adrenaline rushing through his system. Yuna saw that girl kiss him? Was that why she was mad? Why she cried on the ship? Did she see the fight? Was she even mad about the fight? Is _that_ what she saw? She thought he _cheated_ on her??? Tidus let his mouth fall open and he just stared at Paine. "She saw that girl kiss me?" he heard himself say.

The frown deepened on Paine's face. "Obviously."

Thoughts and memories of his and Yuna's last conversation were racing through his head, and he couldn't speak. Had they really gotten their signals crossed this bad? Shit shit shit. He was such an idiot! 

He reached up grabbed his head, not knowing what else to do with his hands. This was bad. Bad. Or was it good? Yuna wasn't mad at him for fighting like a rabid dog, but she was…she was _hurt _by him for cheating on her...oh shit! Tidus concluded that this was definitely bad. 

"I didn't kiss that girl, she kissed me!" he exclaimed, walking in front of Yuna's friend. "She asked me for a hug because I was her favorite player and I said okay and then I hugged her and then she grabbed my head kissed me before I could get away, and then I told her I was with Yuna and she didn't care, she just walked off," he babbled. 

Paine looked a little leery of his explanation. He could tell she wanted to believe him, but she was wary. "Paine, you've gotta believe me," he implored, "I would never do that to Yuna. I love her! I-I wanna marry her!" 

The ring! That was it! He could make her see. "Hang on a sec, okay?" he instructed, backing away and motioning with his hands for her to stay where she was. 

He began jogging toward the palm tree by the clubhouse where he'd put his knapsack before practice. It seemed stupid to do so at the time, and he didn't know why he had done it, but now Tidus was glad he'd taken the ring with him that afternoon. The small nylon sack was sitting against the wall, just where he'd left it. Slowing down to a walk, Tidus snatched the bag up and shoved his hand inside. Before he completely pulled the small velvet box out of the bag, he was running back toward Paine, kicking up sand behind him and leaving footprints.

"I bought this," he panted, tossing her the box. "In Bevelle that day."

Using her fingertips, Paine carefully popped open the small case, and there was no mistaking the shock in her eyes. Not that she was the most expressive person in the world, but Tidus had been around her enough to read the emotions in her eyes. She was a lot like Lulu; the only way you could read her heart was through her eyes. He lowered his head, looking into those stormy eyes. "Do you believe me?" he asked, pressing his palm flat against his heart.

Paine looked back down at the ring and studied it for a minute. "Gagazet diamond," she stated.

Nodding, Tidus knelt down on one knee in front of her. "Yeah, it took a lot to get it, but I did." He reached over and pointed out the Macalania gems to her. "Those have a pretty special meaning too," he commented.

"I know. Your first kiss was there," Paine's voice was softer than he had ever heard her speak.

How did everyone know that? "Did Yuna tell you that?" he asked, resting his elbow on his knee.

She nodded, closing the box and handing it back to him. Tidus watched as she stood and dusted her pants off. She folded her arms, and walked close to the edge of the beach. He walked over to stand beside her. "When Rikku and her brother first found me, I felt lost too," she said in a hushed voice. "I didn't have any memory and I didn't have anything or anyone to trust in."

The weight of this confession was not lost on Tidus. He felt a strange platonic affection for Paine at that moment. He knew that a warm heart had always beat under that cool exterior of hers. Paine shifted her feet, and looked down at her boots. She continued speaking. "But Yuna and Rikku never judged me. They just befriended me, no questions asked. Now I trust them with my life." She looked up, and out to the sea. Tidus' eyes followed hers. "So I know what you mean, about someone loving you for no reason."

The two held a look, and then exchanged the smiles of two people who weren't exactly on the same page, but at least in the same chapter. Friends.

Paine spoke, her face gone back to the mask of impassiveness she always wore. "I believe you. But Yuna doesn't."

Tidus groaned inwardly, swaying in a circle on his feet. Man, he couldn't believe he had been so _dumb_.  How was he going to convince Yuna of the truth? He thought back to the other day again, when he'd told her all those things about guys being macho and all that. He could see why she'd reacted how she did. Fuck, she must think he was an insensitive jerk. 

He began pacing back and forth. "I need to see her," he said, more to himself than to Paine. "I know I can make her understand. I know it."

His new friend turned to him. "We'll leave in the morning," she said.

Tidus stopped in his tracks and turned to face Paine. "You'll take me?" he asked, making sure he'd heard her right. First she'd hit him, and now she was going to help him?

She nodded, nodding her head toward the docks. Tidus peered over her shoulder, and saw one of the gunmetal gray Al Bhed mini-ships at port. He realized she must've taken that straight here to talk to him. From what he understood, the smaller ships were used to transport the Al Bhed in charge of demonstrating machina. The big ones were used to transport the actual machina. He guessed Rikku and Paine probably had their own just to cruise in sometimes. "You can fly that thing?" he asked, walking past her to see a little closer.

"Yes."

A slow smile spread across his face as he faced Paine again. Emotion bubbled up in him, and he enveloped her in a bear hug. "You're so awesome!" he gushed, squeezing her tight.

He felt her initially stiffen, but Tidus figured she didn't hug a lot anyway. Now that they were friends, she was just going to have to get used to it. His smile broadened when he felt her lightly pat him on his back. Once. Then twice. Finally, he released her, and she cleared her throat, obviously uncomfortable with the affection. Tidus just thought it was funny. "We will leave at dawn, and be there in time for Rikku's birthday party tomorrow night." 

At the Home? "Aren't we still having her surprise party here?" he asked.

"Yes, but that's in two days," she explained. "Rikku's actual birthday is tomorrow. So Cid and all of her Al Bhed friends wanted to have a party for her there, as well."

"Oh, okay." Tidus walked back over where he left his bag and placed the velvet box back inside. "So you're staying the night?"

Paine shrugged, starting in the direction of the house. "I suppose that's the most practical thing to do."

"Cool," he grinned, following her. "Slumber party with the Paine-ster."

She rolled her eyes. Tidus threw an arm over her shoulder. "So don't you owe me an apology for the other day?" he grinned. "Or do you just like seeing your handiwork on my face?"

Frowning, she shrugged his arm off. "No, I did that so you wouldn't look like such a pretty boy. It's for your own good."

He stopped walking. Seriously? 

Paine looked over her shoulder at him, with her tight-lipped smile. Oh, she was joking again. "You're so mean," he laughed, jogging and then catching up with her. He'd have to get used to her brand of humor. "But I'm glad you're my friend," he added softly, looking at her face to gauge her reaction.

She raised her eyebrows, scratching her arm. "Well, friends don't let friends run around looking like wild fiends," she said, changing the sensitive tone quickly. Her hand went to his shaggy blonde hair and pulled it down into his face. "I am not taking you anywhere with that rat's nest on your head. We cut it tonight."

Tidus pushed his hair out of his eyes, and shot her a mock-angry glare. "Jassu likes it," he baited.

Paine didn't bite. Or even flinch at his comment. "Whatever. I don't." The lit torches on the front porch of the house were visible to them now. Wakka or Lulu had probably cooked dinner, and he was starving. "Besides, you'll need all the help you can get come tomorrow," she added.

He sighed. Too true. And somehow, he doubted that a new haircut would do much good in this situation. "I'll take whatever will help my chances," he thought aloud.

Tidus didn't know what he was going to say to Yuna, but he knew it had to be good. Losing her was just not an option.

To be continued….


	14. Frustration and Skimpy bikinis

Chapter 11a! It's gonna be a long one again, so I'm splitting it up. Thanks as always, for the reviews, I love them. Keeps me encouraged. ;)  

NOTE: There's some Al Bhed language out the ying yang in this chap, so refer to the bottom of the page to translate, or go here: ffx.annamation.ca/albhed.php It's a lovely site with FFX and FFX-2 media and pics, so surf around!

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"How could the one I shared my dreams with, take my dreams from me…"

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"You getting tan yet, Yunie?"

Yuna squinted over at Rikku, who was lying on her stomach on their large beach blanket, taking in the sun by the pool. "A little," she responded, lifting her arms and inspecting them for a new hint of brownness. She wasn't pale, but she wasn't as dark as Rikku either.

Rikku was wearing the new yellow bikini Yuna had bought her for her birthday. It was entirely too skimpy for Yuna's liking, but that's how Rikku liked her clothes. The blonde turned her face toward the brunette, and rested her head on the blanket. "At least you're not a ghost like Lulu," she snorted, trying to muffle her laugh into the soft terry cloth.

Yuna, who was lying face-up, saw the spell coming before Rikku did. The afore-mentioned Lulu was sitting under an umbrella close to the pool entrance, only a few feet away and heard her comment. She nonchalantly lifted a hand, waved it a little, and….

"AIEEEEEE!" 

It was too funny. Yuna covered her mouth, laughing at her cousin, who's back was arched and she was vigorously rubbing her just-shocked bottom. "That's not funny, Lulu!" Rikku scolded, turning awkwardly and glaring at her older friend. "You coulda killed me!"

Lulu casually crossed her long legs at the ankles, relaxing back in her beach chair. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said coolly, reaching into her pack and pulling out a handful of those yucky gelatin bears she loved so much. Yuna couldn't see how she liked them so much, they tasted like nothing and the texture of them was gross.

"Candy?" Lulu offered, holding a colorful handful out toward Yuna and Rikku.

Yuna shook her head vigorously and Rikku followed suit. "Aren't you hot in that dress, Lulu?" Yuna's cousin asked.

Lulu was wearing one of her trademark long, black buckle dresses with the fur lining. _Wasn't_ she hot? Ever? Yuna guessed that she would have to get another style of dress soon, once her tummy started getting bigger. 

"No," she replied, obviously knowing where Rikku was going with this. "And I know that if it were up to you, I would be clad in some sort of maternity bikini," she deadpanned.

"She's right Rikku," Yuna chimed in, giggling at Lulu's humor. Her cousin's sense of style suited her free personality, but she didn't seem to understand that not everyone was comfortable showing so much skin. Especially someone as modest as Lulu. 

Rikku pushed herself up to a standing position, and faced Lulu. "But you're so pretty, Lulu!" she exclaimed, resting a hand on her hip. "You should show it off! I bet Waaakka would like it…" she added, waggling her eyebrows and making a pawing motion with her free hand.

Lulu pulled her black satin eye mask down to cover her eyes from the sun. "Wakka likes _it_ just how _it_ is."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, suit yourself," she resigned, turning and walking down the steps into the pool. "If you'll excuse me, I've gotta cool off my burnt BUNS!" She punctuated her last statement by kicking water in Lulu's direction. 

The three laughed, and Yuna flipped over onto her stomach to get some sun on her back. Her bathing suit wasn't as skimpy as Rikku's but it was a bikini that was pretty skimpy to her. She wouldn't have dared worn it back in Besaid, but the Al Bhed dressed differently than everyone else, and their dress code was greatly less inhibited. So she was well, less uncomfortable. 

The Al Bhed Home was rebuilt only four months after the Eternal Calm had begun. Uncle Cid had headed up the operation, and the survivors of the attack on the old Home were there to help, as well as fellow Spirans who believed in the cause and wanted to establish peace with the Al Bhed. The major difference between this rebuilt haven and the old Home was that some of the former Yevonites dwelled here among the Al Bhed. Yuna thought it was lovely, people finally coming together in spite of race. It was like a dream come true.

Architecturally speaking, the Home was in the shape of a giant dome, and almost twice as big as the old one. During the nice days, the transparent protective ceiling was mechanically rolled back and the sun was allowed in. The Home was self-maintaining and it had everything from shops to dwellings to entertainment, so the Al Bhed never had to leave. Underground was the machina production facility, where machina was mass-produced to distribute all over Spira. Yuna had only seen it once, and all the inventions and all that machina sued to _make_ machina sent her mind reeling. 

Swimming pools were new inventions to Spira, since during the days of Yevon, the machina used to make them was forbidden. People relied on real beaches and lakes and ponds for bathing and recreation. Yuna preferred the natural beauty of the beach and the wind and the birds, but the swimming pool was a nice, functional change of scenery. 

This was pleasant, hanging out with her two of her closest friends, and just enjoying the weather. Rikku's brother had flown Lulu for a personal lesson with one a young girl that morning. Amaru, the young Al Bhed girl, had very strong talent in the art of Black Magic, and she was one of Lulu's students as well. It was a very intriguing situation because the Al Bhed were not known at all for possessing the gift, and Lulu was renowned all over Spira for her skill in magical guardianship. The two working together was quite a conversation piece. Yuna was glad her friend was having fun with her art and passing it on to others. 

Speaking of friends, where was Paine? Yuna voiced her question out loud to her friends. One of them would know.

"I dunno," Rikku said, wading over to the edge of the pool where Yuna was laying. "She said she had errands to run."

"By herself?" Yuna asked, turning her face toward her.

Rikku folded her arms on the edge of the pool, sloshing water onto the cement and the edge of the towel Yuna was on. "I guess so," She rested her chin on her folded arms. "She took a ship."

Yuna frowned. That was very strange. Paine usually never went on errands without Rikku, at the least. "Did you ask to go with her?"

Rikku shook her mane full of blonde braids. "Mmm-mmm. She just said she was going and she left."

"Hmm. I wonder what as so important?" Yuna wondered aloud.

The two turned their heads at the jingling of Lulu's buckles and hair adornments. "Well, I'm going to go take a nap," the tallest of the three said, stuffing her things into her pack and standing up from the chair.

This was no surprise to Yuna. Lulu slept so much since she'd become pregnant. She hadn't gained very much weight though, like she thought might happen. Just that cute little pooch that she and Rikku and Wakka liked to rub. It was hard to believe there was a _baby_ growing in there. What a beautiful thing. Yuna couldn't wait until she had a baby of her own some day. Well, if she ever had one. She'd only pictured that scenario with Tidus. 

"Have a good nap, Lulu," she said, suddenly melancholy at the thought of him. 

"Yeah, get some sleep Lulu," Rikku echoed, "cuz we're gonna par-tay tonight!"

Lulu raised her palm on her forehead, shaking her head in amusement and walking out the gate. Rikku had somehow found out about her party, but at least she still had no clue about the one they having for her in Besaid. Her cousin was a natural thief. Information concerning herself was no different.

"I hope Paine comes back in time for the party," Rikku said, resting her head back down on her arms. "Guess who I invited?"

"Who?"

"Ja-ssu," she giggled.

Yuna smiled. Rikku, ever the matchmaker. Though she had to admit, Jassu was a nice person who she had known since childhood. He was head over heels for Paine, and it seemed her friend liked him a little too, but would never show it. Tidus was always conspiring with Rikku about how they would get those two together.

Tidus.

"Yep, Paine's gonna _flip_. But I'm just not gonna tell her that I invited him. I mean, she won't know and it doesn't mater anyway because it's my party and I can invite whoever I want, right?" 

Yuna heard her, but was lost in her thoughts about Tidus. Even though she was still very angry, and very hurt by him, she missed him. Terribly. It was so frustrating; almost everything reminded her of him. Part of her hoped she didn't have to see him again until she was ready, while part of her hoped to see him at Rikku's party tonight. But that very unlikely, since he had a scrimmage tonight against the Djose team. Or had they already played? In any event, he wasn't going to come all the way to the Al Bhed Home. He would have to have left in thee wee hours of the morning by Al Bhed watership, because the smaller ferries and boats only went from town to town; none went to the remote Home.

"Yunie? Are you listening to me?" Rikku flicked water on Yuna with her hand.

"Hmm? Sorry." Yuna shook her head, wiping off her forearm on the blanket. 

Reaching across the blanket, Rikku pushed Yuna's hair back from her damp brow. "You're thinkin about him, aren't cha?" she asked, tilting her head.

Was she that obvious? Nodding, Yuna allowed her eyes to slip shut. Coming to the Home with Paine and Rikku that day had seemed like her only option. She couldn't even stand to look at him, with that hang-dog expression on his face. He wanted her to forgive him, but she couldn't yet. She didn't know if she even could. And yet, she still wanted him. They'd made such plans for their life together, and she wanted all those things. How can you stay angry with someone and want to be with them? But at what price? So he could cheat on her when she wasn't around? Maybe he was off with someone as she lie there, agonizing over him. Her thoughts had turned angry, and she released a slow sigh.

"I think he's really sorry, ya know."

Yuna's eyes snapped open. "That does not matter to me, Rikku. I didn't matter to him when he was kissing that woman either," she said, angry at the memory burned into her brain.

Rikku's face screwed in thought. "I know you saw what you saw Yunie, but that just seems like…I dunno, I just can't believe he would do that. Did you ask him about it?"

Her eyes slipped shut again. "Yes, and he told me that he was not thinking and he had just acted on impulse." A pang of hurt shot through her stomach at the memory of his explanation. He had been so casual about it… "He said he wouldn't do it again, but I don't know if that is the truth." Why did he do it at all?

"I dunno," Rikku commented in a low voice. "That's just so totally not like him at all… But Yunie, you have to talk to him again. Maybe everything will be okay and –"

"Rikku," Yuna said, opening her eyes and sitting up. "why are you defending him? He-he hurt me…" she rested her fingertips on her breastbone.

Her cousin's eyebrows knit together. "I'm sorry," she said softly, "I mean, you're my cousin and he's my friend and….I, I just thought you guys were so happy, ya know?"

Yuna did too. But what a difference a day makes, she thought sourly. Rikku reached over and covered her hand with her own. "Hey, why don't we go get something to eat and nap with Lulu? I'll buy you some pnufheac…." She enticed with raised eyebrows, "with sprinkles…" 

Her stomach grumbled at the thought. Yuna loved Al Bhed brownies with sprinkles. They were her guilty pleasure. She usually ate healthy, and the pastries were so fatty, but they tasted so good… "Deal," Yuna agreed with a smile. She loved her cousin for trying to cheer her up.

"Let's get outta here then," Rikku suggested as she stretched her arms over her head. "All this sun is making me sleepy."

Yawning at her suggestion, Yuna nodded. It was high noon, and the sun was directly overhead. Her limbs felt heavy, like she had been drained of her energy. She rose to her feet and began to gather up their things. 

Maybe a nice nap would do her good before the party. Spira only knew how much alcohol and dancing and crazy behavior was going to be going on later. Another reason the Al Bhed were hated by Yevonites. They were known for their wild celebrations and so-called "heathen" lifestyle. Yuna had never been to an Al Bhed _lamapnydeuh* _before, and she knew that she would need her rest. Especially if she was going to babysit a drunken, hyperactive Rikku.

The blanket was folded neatly, and Yuna handed Rikku her towel. She used it to towel off, then she tied it around her waist. Thank goodness, because Yuna was tired of seeing Rikku's bare "buns" anyway.  The giggles snuck up on her suddenly, and she tried to mask it with a cough.

Her cousin looked at her quizzically. "Um, I'm pretty thirsty." She covered, slipping her bare feet into her flip-flops.

"Oh," Rikku nodded, "me too. Let's go down and pick up some food and stuff. We'll bring Lulu back somethin."

The two cousins started through the bustling section, which was busy with people out and about during the mid-day. The Home Xiyndan_* _reminded her of the Bevelle shopping district, or the Luca marketplace. But the neat part was that this was self-sufficient, and all indoors. She found it a very interesting concept.

As they made their way through the crowd and toward the _tehan*_, a young Al Bhed man walked up to them, and smiled warmly. "E raynt ed'c ouin pendrtyo lamapnydeuh duhekrd," he said, giving Rikku a hug.

He looked about their age, tall and handsome, with blonde, short hair and striking green eyes like Rikku's. His trademark Al Bhed goggles were perched on the top of his spiky hair. Yuna guessed he was a blitzball player because of his muscular build. 

Rikku beamed, releasing him. "Oab! Oui'na lusehk nekrd?" she grinned, "Ed'c kuehk du pa dra byndo uv dra lahdino!"

He laughed, showing a perfect row of sparkling white teeth. "Oui ghuf E'mm pa drana," he said, tilting his head, "E ajah puikrd oui y bnacahd."

Yuna couldn't understand them, but she did make out the words "party" and "coming" and "you".  Suddenly, Rikku turned to her and smacked her own forehead. "Oh my gosh I'm sorry Yunie!" she apologized, resting her hand on Yuna's bare back. "This is Blappa, he plays for the Psyches."

Oh… She didn't recognize him without his Al Bhed swimming mask on. Yuna waved. "Rammu," she smiled politely. "Hello" was one of the few words she know how to say.

His eyes fixed on her and widened. To Yuna's surprise, the handsome blitzer knelt down on one knee and took her hand in his. "Rammu," he said, bowing. "E ghuf fru oui yna, Lady Yuna."

Rikku turned to her bewildered cousin. "He says he knows who you are," she smiled proudly.

When he kissed her hand, Yuna began blushing furiously. It had been a year, and she was still getting used to people's random acts of kindness, let alone gestures of pure respect. One day, she hoped she would stop turning into a beet when people did something nice for her.

Blappa stood, releasing her hand with a bow. "Femm oui pa yd dra byndo duhekrd?*" he said, looking from Yuna to Rikku to translate.

"He asked if you'll be at my party," she interpreted. Her words were directed to Blappa now. "Oab, fa femm pudr pa drana,yht nayto du byyyyndyo!*" she squealed, raising her fist in the air. "Whoooo!!!"

Blappa laughed, and gave her another hug. "Ugyo, drah E femm caa oui duhekrd?*" he said in a soft voice. A slow smile spread across Yuna's face at the interaction. This guy really liked Rikku.

Her cousin smiled coyly, and pulled his goggles down onto his face. "Ugyo,*" she giggled, grabbing Yuna's hand and walking away.

Yuna waved at Blappa over her shoulder, then looked at her cousin. Why hadn't she said anything about him? "He likes you, doesn't he?" she said in that conspiratory voice only teenagers could accomplish.

Rikku shrugged, smiling. "I dunno, I guess."

Oh, she knew. Why didn't she just admit it? "You like him too."

Giggling, Rikku slapped her cousin on the arm. "I dunno, maybe!"

She hoped she did. Yuna didn't know Blappa, but she had a good feeling about him, so she decided he was going to be invited to the surprise party in Besaid. She wanted her cousin to have a good guy that treated her right. Maybe he would settle her down and get her to marry him. Although, Yuna thought with an inward smile, taming Rikku was going to be a daunting task. But she thought back to how they were flirting and the way he looked at Rikku when they were talking. Even she knew a guy really liked a girl when they hung off their every word. 

Tidus used to look at her like that…

Her face fell, against her will. She really missed him, and she wanted to see him. But she wanted to see him so she could be mean to him or ignore him. Now what kind of sense did that make? Her feelings were going wild, and she wished she could just get ahold of them.

Rikku saw her face, and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Yunie," she said reassuringly, "no matter what, it's gonna be okay. Just…just try not to think about it so much and just let stuff happen."

Yuna frowned quizzically. "Just let things happen?"

"Well, yeah. I think that everything happens for a reason, ya know? If you just sit back and relax, then things kinda have this weirdo way of falling into place."

So more time would heal her heart? Even heartache this bad? "Really?"

Rikku pulled her into a loving hug. "Really Cuz."

Yuna wrapped her arms around her best friend's waist. For being so young, she thought Rikku was wise beyond her years, despite her carefree attitude. Maybe she was so open and free because so many bad things had happened to her. She was a lot like Tidus, squeezing every drop of fun out of life, everyday. 

Goodness, she missed him.

Pulling away and looping her arm through Yuna's, Rikku began leading toward the tehan* again. "So let's get some grub and get some sleep, and then we gotta get dressed for the parteeee," she grinned.

Rikku's smile was contagious. Maybe tonight would be the start of her new outlook on life. Everything happens for a reason? Maybe. But Yuna wondered if the struggle in life was trying to find the reasons, or just continuing on without looking back. Her cousin would say the latter, but Yuna thought more of the former.

Since she had met him, living without Tidus had never entered into her lexicon of what her future would be. It seemed so right and natural for them to fall in love and be together forever. But now, in the face of his unfaithfulness, Yuna didn't know up from down. It was like being told that the sky wasn't blue, but purple. And then looking up and seeing it for yourself. 

If they separated, he would move out, and she supposed they would both gradually move on. Maybe. But the mere thought of seriously being without him forever made her cringe inside. It was just so unexpected; this wasn't supposed to be happening. She should've been lying on the beach with him somewhere, watching the clouds and rubbing sand in his hair. 

For the first time, Yuna realized that whatever happened, she knew that with her friends by her side, she would get through this. With Tidus or without Tidus.

The problem was, that she didn't know which one she really wanted anymore.

To be continued….

______________

Translations:

lamapnydeuh - celebration

tehan - diner

E raynt ed'c ouin pendrtyo lamapnydeuh duhekrd – I heard it's your birthday celebration tonight.

Oab! Oui'na lusehk nekrd – Yep! You're coming right?

Ed'c kuehk du pa dra byndo uv dra lahdino – It's going to be the party of the century!

Oui ghuf E'mm pa drana – You know I'll be there

E ajah puikrd oui y bnacahd – I even bought you a present

Rammu - Hello

E ghuf fru oui yna, Lady Yuna – I know who you are, Lady Yuna

Femm oui pa yd dra byndo duhekrd – Will you be at the party tonight?

Oab, fa femm pudr pa drana,yht nayto du byyyyndyo – Yep, we will both be there, and ready to paaaartay!

Ugyo, drah E femm caa oui duhekrd – Okay, then I will see you tonight

Ugyo - Okay


	15. Techno music and sincerity

LONG 11b! I wanted to say I'm really glad everyone likes my portrayal of Paine. I haven't played the game yet, and I've just been going by pictures of her. Actually, this entire story is based on pictures of the characters and my own ideas for post FFX. Although I did read the YRP character bios. Hopefully when FFX-2 comes out, I won't have grossly misinterpreted them! Anyway. As always, thanks for the reviews and enjoy! :)

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"I had to find you, tell you I need you…"

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Tidus watched with great interest as Paine began the procedure to gain access to the Home.

She moved her face in the path of a wall-based retina scanner, and he watched as the red light highlighted the planes and angles of her face as it scanned her eyes. A small "ding" confirmed access, and Paine looked directly into the camera lens above the large steel doors. "He's with me," she said gruffly, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and jerking him in front of the lens. "Let's go."

"Howdy," he added goofily, waving at whoever was behind that thing.

He heard her exasperated sigh and grinned. Annoying Paine was quickly becoming one of his favorite pastimes. It was almost as fun as stealing food from Lulu and running for cover before she could murder him. As the gigantic metal doors slid open, a burst of cool air hit his face and then the second set of smaller doors opened, and Tidus' mouth dropped to the floor.

'Rikku sure knows how to throw a party', was his first thought, as the thumping bass vibrated through the soles of his flimsy island flip-flops.

Even in Zanarkand, Tidus had never seen a party of this magnitude. There we people everywhere! Former Yevonites were dancing with Al Bhed, men were drinking and women were laughing and hanging over the ledges of the five upper levels in the compound. There must've been hundreds...maybe a thousand people there. It was absolute craziness. 

Tidus smiled to himself. It was awesome.

The dome lights were off, and the only lighting to see anything with was the special effect ones. There were huge disco balls freestanding on high metal poles here and there, and a few strobe lights that he could see, as well as quite a few colorful, dancing beams, probably projected from somewhere in the ceiling. He guessed there was a DJ up there somewhere, but he couldn't see through the throng of people gathered by the door, much less the hundreds packed together on the dance floor.

He juggled the box he had in his hands. He'd wrapped Rikku's present in bright pink wrapping paper with the biggest blue bow he could find. The idea was for it to stand out, and he figured it would, even amidst the thousands of gifts he figured she would get tonight. Giving it to her tonight would keep her from suspecting anything about her party tomorrow, but he would have to find her first. And as he squinted through the darkness, he wondered just how he was going to do that.

More importantly, how was he going to find Yuna in all these people? He took a deep breath as the butterflies began anew in his stomach. He'd rehearsed over and over what he was going to say on the way here. He only hoped he could nail it. He hoped it would work. 

He looked over at Paine, who was speaking to an older Al Bhed woman. She looked at least forty, but she was wearing skimpy clothing just like all the other women he saw. Tidus thanked his lucky stars that at least she was good-looking. It was weird to him that she was old and dressed like the younger generation. But obviously, that was the norm around there. He watched as she handed Paine a fruity-looking drink. It was probably alcoholic.

"Hey!" he yelled, touching Paine's bare arm. He could barely hear himself over the music. "I'm gonna go find Yuna! How do I look?" 

She looked him over, considering. His hair was finally cut; it was nice to not feel his hair in his eyes anymore and he still had one slightly black eye, but it was fading fast. He'd put on his long red beach shorts with white trim that Yuna had bought him, and he wore a yellow tanktop with the Aurochs logo screened on the front. His Abes chain dangled around his neck, and Yuna's silver bracelet adorned his right wrist, as always. Paine had convinced him that yellow flip flips would look better than his yellow boots. It was funny, for being so inclined to wear dark clothing, Paine was a pretty good fashion consultant. "Do I look okay?!" he prompted.

She relaxed against the wall. "Goofy!" she smirked, matching his loud tone. 

Tidus grinned at her joke. He understood her now. "Okay, it's gametime then! Wish me luck!"

She raised her drink to him. "Don't screw this up!"

He reached over and squeezed her bent elbow affectionately. "I won't!" he promised.

She rolled her eyes and shooed him with her free had before he got too sensitive. Grinning, Tidus turned and began making his way through the crowd. His smile turned into a look of confusion. How was he going to find them? He couldn't ask anyone; he only understand a little Al Bhed, but he couldn't speak it to save his life. 

He shrugged inwardly. Oh well. Whatever it took, he would find her and make all this stuff right. As he began walking again, the weight of the small velvet box in his pocket thumped against his leg; a constant reminder of just how crucial this meeting was going to be. 

Gosh, it was hot. Tidus could feel himself begin to sweat as he pushed his way through the dancing people. Everyone's body heat made it feel like there was actual steam coming up from the floor or something. His hair was falling into his eyes and onto his ears from the moisture in the air. He wished he could've had time actually dance and work up a sweat at this party, but the one he wanted to dance and party with hated him at the moment. So nonetheless, much more important things were at hand. If he could get through the damn crowd, that is.

"Tidus!"

An unfamiliar voice tinged with an Al Bhed accent shouted his name from his right. He turned his head to a woman, who was pointing him out excitedly to her three friends. Upon closer inspection, Tidus deduced that they couldn't have been older than fourteen; though they dressed like the adults. Tidus figured this was why Rikku was so um, mature dressing. As the three identically-dressed, blonde girls approached him, one spoke. "You are me best blitz," she gushed loudly, pressing her hands to her chest.

Tidus grinned. He assumed she meant he was her favorite blitzer, and he thought it was cute that she'd tried to tell him in his language. Thankfully, none of them tried to kiss him or anything, so he was feeling grateful enough to give them a gift to share. "Hold this for a sec?" he requested, handing Rikku's present to the tallest one on his left.

Grinning all the while, Tidus crossed his arms in front of him, and reached down to pull the hem of his tank top over his head. A rush of air blanketed his damp torso as he handed his Aurcohs tank to the now squealing girl who had spoken to him. He then leaned over and pull them all into a hug, even though their ecstatic screaming was almost deafening over the sound of the music. He gently took Rikku's gift from the hand of the other stunned girl, and waved goodbye. As he walked away, he threw a 1000-watt grin over his retreating shoulder just to hear them squeal again.

Man, life was good.

"They're not going to be able to sleep tonight, you know!" 

Tidus looked up and to his right at one of the dimly-lit lofts and saw Lulu smiling at him. What the heck was Lulu doing at this crazy party? He'd just seen her that morning in Besaid before _he_ left. In any event, it was nice to see a friendly face that he could speak to. Maybe she'd know where Rikku or Yuna was.

The lofts were basically large semi-circles that protruded from the upper dormitory style levels of the Home. They were specially lit and furnished for the party, and Tidus could only make out Lulu in her dark attire because of the blinking neon green light intermittently bathing her relaxed features. 

He frowned. How was he going to get up there without walking through the crazy crowd again? He'd been sticking along the edge, where it was cooler, but he was still wet from sweating and the humidity. "There's a pod!" Lulu called through cupped hands, pointing toward the door beside her. Tidus sighed happily. Thank goodness for small miracles.

He stepped into the metal cylinder in front of him, and ascended floors. The doors dinged open, and Lulu was turned in her seat, smiling warmly at his arrival. It was nice, her presence was warming him, helping to alleviate his nervousness. A little bit, anyway. "What are you doing here?" he asked, giving Lulu's bare shoulders a one-armed squeeze and setting Rikku's gift onto the metal tabletop in front of them.

"A student," she said, popping candy into her mouth as he plopped down into the cushioned seat.

Did Lulu ever stop eating? Tidus bet she ate more than he and Wakka put together, in a week. He wondered if Yuna would be like this when she was pregnant. "Did you leave with Paine?" she questioned, chewing the candy. Tidus looked at the bag she was holding, Gummy bears.

He scooted his chair closer to her, so they didn't have to speak so loud. "Yeah, we left this morning. Probably before you did, I think."

Lulu's amber eyes bore into his. "You're here for Yuna, aren't you?"

At the mention of her name, butterflies began fluttering in Tidus' stomach. He nodded. Leaning forward, Lulu set her small plastic bag onto the table next to Rikku's gift. "Are you planning to bribe her?" she asked, nodding toward the nicely wrapped package.

Tidus chuckled. If only that would work. "Nah, that's for Rikku." He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out the ever-present velvet box. "This is for Yuna," he grinned, revealing it to Lulu. 

She nodded at him. "Good luck with that."

He raised his eyebrows. "Thanks," he said sincerely. He was going to need it. "Well, I'm gonna go find Yuna." he stood, gathering his gift. "Don't get wasted, Lulu," he joked, stepping around his chair and toward the pod.

"I spoke with Yuna, by the way."

Tidus looked over his shoulder, and a sudden glimmer of hope blossomed in his chest. "Really? What happened?"  he queried, sitting back down on the edge of his seat. Please let this be good…

"Nothing monumental. I told her to follow her heart, but to also weigh all aspects of the situation and circumstances."

He leaned closer to her, locking his eyes on hers. "You didn't believe it, either." It was a question that came out as a statement.

"I'm not involved in your and Yuna's affairs." Lulu tilted her head to one side. "But I do know that I watched the love unfurl between the two of you on Yuna's pilgrimage. I do not believe that something as petty as temptation could damage something so strong."

So she believed him, then? Lulu could be so confusing sometimes. "Well," he said, rising again to his feet. "I'm gonna go fix the damage right now."

"Yuna loves you." Her warm hand slid over his wrist. "Speak from your heart."

"Kay," he said quietly. It hit him all at once; he was touched by how much his friends cared about him and Yuna. He made a silent vow to never let something like this happen ever again.

Encouragement radiated from Lulu's eyes, and Tidus took it to heart. Stepping backwards, he let his hand fall from hers and to his side as he made his way back toward the pod. 

The hallway ran across the front of the doors to the living quarters and extended all the way down to another cylindrical pod. The dance floor was visible over the ledges between the lofts, and it would provide him with a bird's-eye view of the place. Hopefully, he'd be able to spot Rikku or Yuna. Or both maybe. 

Tidus made his way down the hall. Once he'd made it to the middle, he sat Rikku's gift on the floor, against the wall in front of his feet. He placed his palms on the cool, smooth wooden ledge and began scanning the crowd. The view was nice from up here; he could see everything. In the dimness of the dome, the large crowd looked almost like an ocean. Their gyrating bodies were like rolling waves rippling through the sea. It was pretty neat looking.

Glancing to his right, Tidus discovered that there was in fact, a DJ in the front on a platform surrounded by large machines that he presumed were musical equipment. He shook his head, thinking of how far more technologically advanced the Al Bhed were than the rest of Spira. This place reminded him so much of the late-night clubs in Zanarkand. It was like he'd walked into a portal to another world. Everyone was dancing and having fun; he didn't see a single person who wasn't smiling or dancing. 

Tidus looked toward the front door where he'd come in with Paine, and spotted her still leaning against the wall, smiling a little and talking to some blonde guy. His eyebrows raised. Well, well well. Paine was getting her mack on. Obviously, since the guy wasn't lying unconscious on the floor yet. Tidus snorted to himself. This guy must've had some good lines to still be standing _and_ have enjoyng the elusive PaineSmile. Leaning further over the rail, he squinted, trying to get a better look at the guy, whose back was to him. He was darker-complected, and dressed in non-Al Bhed attire, instead wearing the cloth pants and a light-colored cotton collared shirt that typical islanders wore. A slow smile spread across Tidus' face as the guy leaned over her shoulder to say something in her ear, and his profile was visible. 

Jassu.

What was he doing there? Damn, he must've left early in the morning by salvage ship. In any event, it seemed that Paine had actually decided to give Jassu a chance. Tidus thought it was awesome; he was a great guy who had the hots for her for the longest. Besides that, he really liked her. He didn't know how many times Jassu had made him roll his eyes from rambling on and on about Paine this, Paine that. But it kinda made him feel good to know that she was giving him a chance, and things would probably work out.

If only things were that easy for him at the moment. 

He sighed, resting on his elbows against the rail. His chain clinked on the edge as he settled himself. He'd rehearsed what he was going to say to her countless times on the trip there. Apologize first, then explain, and hopefully she would forgive him for the misunderstanding. A small niggle of doubt was in the back of his mind; maybe she wouldn't believe him. But he refused to take that notion seriously, because doing so would open his mind to frightening possibilities that he was totally not ready for.

He threw a leg over his ankle behind him and continued scanning the crowd. Not for the first time since he'd gotten there, he wished he could be standing there with Yuna, on good terms, and having fun. That now-familiar empty feeling settled over him at the thought. Gosh, he missed her. His heart felt purposeless without her presence. A hand went up to scratch the side of his still-damp head. He just needed to keep looking until he found her. Even if he saw Brother or Rikku or Cid, even, that would help.

Shit. Cid.

He wondered if he knew why his niece was so upset. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to run into him after all. Tidus shuddered at the thought.

As he was thinking, he heard a distinct giggle from beneath him. He leaned over the rail to investigate, and he absently wondered how his ears had picked out the sound over the powerful thump of the music and the loud din of mingled voices. He craned his torso over the edge so far that his head was hanging upside down. What he saw made his breath catch in his throat, and caused a little movement in his pants.  

Rikku and Yuna were dancing about twenty feet apart, with a groups of probably ten guys each. Rikku was dressed in a skimpy outfit as usual, but….so was Yuna. 

The love of his life was wearing a sky blue and white bra-like top that looked much like a bikini top and not a shirt. Her toned stomach was visible, all the way down to her matching skirt, which was cut in three pieces and held together loosely by widely knit leather. His eyes were drawn to the ruby-red thong straps coming from inside her skirt. Her long legs were bare to just under the knee, where red sleeves were covering her calves down into her shoes. Her feet were clad in blue boots, which were split down the center with a white-ruffle-type fabric surrounding the cuff. Her long ponytail was swinging behind her legs as she danced, and blue ruffled sleeves covered her waving forearms.

She looked so hot. 

He didn't know how to feel. He had never, ever seen her dance. He didn't know she could. He had never, ever seen her dressed like this, and he didn't think she even liked those kind of clothes. He thought Yuna would be self-conscious in those clothes. In spite of his excited surprise, dread wiggled its way into his stomach. Was she dressed like that to get another guy? Did she always dress like this when she went off with Rikku and Paine? Did she even want him anymore? From the way she was smiling and obviously enjoying the attention, he wasn't so sure.

He swung his upper body back up over the ledge and stood up straight. He was suddenly terrified, and a little sad at the same time. He was upset that she liked the attention from other guys, and scared she would just blow him off if he tried to talk to her.

A sudden flame of self-directed rage flashed through him. 'Stop being a coward!' he thought angrily, slamming his fist on the ledge. He hadn't done anything wrong! Why was he acting like he'd done something wrong? It was a misunderstanding. That's all. Things would work out if he quit wallowing around in this mess and just went and fixed it.

Assured, he nodded sharply to himself, snatched up Rikku's gift, and walked down to the pod at the end of the hall. He was going to fix this shit, and get those guys to quit looking at Yuna like that. Adrenaline was rushing through his veins, and his breath quickened as the pod descended floors. All the stress, all the heartache for the both of them was about to be alleviated. He loved her too much to let her go over a misunderstanding. As he pushed his way through the crowd toward where he thought she was, Lulu's words echoed in his head. 'I do not believe that something as petty as temptation could damage something so strong.' She'd said. 

Neither did he. His walk was more determined.

Once he made it down to the small throng of guys dancing with his woman, that's right, _his_ woman, he stopped in his tracks. The adrenaline was surging so hard that his head was throbbing with it. 'Do or die,' he thought. Fight or flight. He chose to fight.

His arm reached out and pulled a guy around by the shoulder, so he could get to Yuna. He figured it probably pissed the guy off, but he didn't care. The other guy next to him wisely moved out of the way, and Tidus walked up to a dancing Yuna and placed his free hand on the damp small of her back. "Hey!" he said in her ear loudly, over the music.

He felt, rather than heard, her gasp through his hand on her. The surprise was evident in her widened eyes as she turned to him, and her mouth hung open. He didn't know if she was surprised to se him there, or surprised that he'd seen her dancing and dressed like this. It might've been both. But gosh, he didn't _care_. He was just happy to see her…

"Can I talk to you?" he asked, pulling back and looking at her neon-tinted features. She was gorgeous.

Yuna regarded him with a tilt of her head. Then she nodded jerkily, obviously still in shock. Her hair was in her eyes, and limp-looking like his. She shook her head a little and tucked a strand behind her ear. "Okay, we-we can talk in Rikku's place!" she suggested, brushing past him toward the pod, much to the disappointed groans from her dancing buddies. 

Fuckers. Tidus felt this irrational feeing of pride and the urge to turn around and flip them all off because he got the girl and not them. Hmm. Maybe men really were ruled by their impulses like Lulu always said.

He turned around quickly, and realized that Yuna was about four steps in front of him. His breath quickened, as he began to panic a little; he didn't want to lose her in this crowd. He hadn't seen her in three days or heard her voice… His pace quickened to a jog, and he bumped a few people as he caught up with her and slid his hand into hers. She slowed to almost a stop, and her eyes slowly went from their joined hands to his face. Her expression was unreadable in the darkness, but she didn't let go. 

Hope began to blossom in him at her acceptance, and he tightened his grip on her warm hand. As they approached the pod and stepped inside, he thought of the age-old saying: "you don't know what you've got until it's gone." He really didn't. He'd never realized how soft her hands were, or how they fit perfectly into his. He couldn't believe he never knew she liked to dance, either. At that moment, he silently vowed that he would never take her for granted, and he would learn every tiny thing about her that there was to learn.

Just when he was relaxing a little, Yuna let took her hand from his. She backed away, placing a couple of feet of distance between them. Tidus watched in dismay as she leaned back against the wall. His work was definitely cut out for him. He studied her body language; Yuna's eyes were downcast, and her free hand was playing with her skirt. She said nothing. Actually, she looked terribly uncomfortable. He hated this. It hurt him to know she was anything but happy and relaxed around him. 

Once the pod doors slid open on their floor, Yuna kept her eyes straight ahead and walked out. He followed her down the hall, racking his brain for what he was going to say. His rehearsal speech was out the window. Seeing her tonight under these wild circumstances had thrown a loop in his plans. But he digressed; maybe taking Lulu's advice and speaking from his heart would be better.

Maybe actually speaking to her would be better. 

He hit himself in the head with his palm. Shit. He'd been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't spoken a word to her. Yuna was currently in front of him, punching in the code on the number pad outside Rikku's door. A small green light blinked on the side of the small panel, and the doors slid open. She walked in first, and Tidus followed her into the nicely-furnished, air conditioned room. However, Yuna took him by surprise and spun to face him. "What are you doing here?" she asked, crossing her arms and glaring at him angrily. 

Tidus' mouth opened and closed like a fish. He'd never seen her this angry before. Not even on the ship that day. Was her chest actually heaving? "Hey, calm down a sec, Yuna." He tried to reason, setting Rikku's well-handled gift down on the coffee table. "Let me just-"

"No!" she boomed, lifting her forearms to her chest and throwing them out violently to her sides. "I most certainly will not!" she began walking closer to him, and Tidus unconsciously took a step back. He'd never seen her this out of control. She was so angry it was actually scaring him.  Once she was squared up with him, Tidus could feel the heat rolling off her body and the flush on her chest and neck.  Her eyes flashed with her ire. 

Hey, had she been drinking? 

"Who do you think you _are_?" she hissed, interrupting his thoughts. "You can't just walk in here and act like you own me."

He frowned, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from speaking. He wanted to defend himself, but it seemed Yuna had been holding so much inside. Maybe this was good for her. He wanted her to take out her anger on him if it made her feel better. 

She continued glaring at him, looking him straight in the eye. "You hurt me," she bit out. 

Tidus' heart simply broke at the sight of a single tear sliding down her alabaster cheek. "You said all those things and you made me believe and I only wanted you…umph!"

A dull thud accompanied the first blow to his chest. Yuna grunted again, pounding his chest with the bottom of her fist. Tidus swallowed the lump beginning to form in his throat in spite of the blunt pain in his chest. She had been so hurt. He couldn't believe she cared about him this much. This wasn't the pain of a woman scorned; a woman angry because some other woman was with her man-- her property. This was the pain of a truly broken heart. 

Yuna was crying openly now, hiccupping, and continuing to hit his chest. It hurt, but he wanted it to hurt. He wanted to feel what he had so stupidly allowed her to feel. This prompted another silent vow from him to her. He would never, ever, allow her to be hurt like this by himself or anyone else. Never again.

Finally, she had tired herself out, and her hits were nothing more than angry pats. "How could you? I _loved_ you," she hiccupped, weakly resting her forehead against his bare chest. "I love you. I love you…"

Tears of relief filled Tidus' eyes as he wrapped his arms around her slight frame and brought her closer to him. He buried his nose in her hair and let them fall. "I love you too Yuna," he whispered, "so much…"

"Then why wasn't I enough?" she asked brokenly. Fuck, how had he managed to make her feel so bad? 

"But you _are_," he whispered into her hair. He pulled back, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Yuna look at me."

She did, and the raw pain he saw there was like a stab to his own heart. He had never seen her this unguarded before. Not since Macalania. "I did not cheat on you."

Her mouth fell open, and her red-rimmed eyes narrowed. "Please don't do this," she sniffed. "I saw you." 

He shook his head. "No, you saw some girl kiss _me_. She asked for a hug and I gave her one. Then, I was pulling away and she kissed _me_." He explained. 

She sill looked disbelieving. "Why didn't you tell me this on the way home then?" she asked softly, but the skepticism was evident in her voice. "You basically admitted to me that you had done it."

He shook his head again. "First, Yuna I'd never lie to you. Ever." He reached a hand down and grabbed hers, which was in a fist. "Second, we had a misunderstanding. I thought you were upset about me fighting with Bickson and Abus that day. I thought when you said you'd seen me, that you'd seen me fighting and you were ashamed of me." He saw something flash across her face at his comment. 

"But you said-"

"Our whole conversation was all messed up, Yuna," He said quickly, dropping to one knee in front of her. "We were talking about different things." He concentrated on her small, slender hand, unballing her fist and curling his fingers under hers.

She regarded him in silence, obviously trying to decide if he was telling the truth. He knew she wanted to believe, but she had been so convinced that he wanted someone else. Her attire was still on his mind; he was still wondering if she was out to get another guy tonight. Or if she already had. Man, he hoped not. That would make things sooo much worse.

He looked up into her puffy-red-rimmed eyes, and ran his thumb soothingly over the top of her hand. "Yuna. I love you," he said softly, putting his free hand over his heart. "I came all the way here to fix things and make this right. I know I hurt you, but I didn't mean to. Nothing happened between me and that girl or…or me and any other girls. You're the only woman I want. Being without you makes me feel useless." He choked out the last syllable, and she became blurry in the tears that filled his eyes. "I've missed you so bad…"  

Tidus didn't know if she was going to believe him, but at least she hadn't let go of his hand yet. He wasn't for sure, but he was hoping that despite her anger and uncertainty, she couldn't help but need his touch. Like he so desperately needed hers. Like he so desperately needed her…

To be continued…


	16. There is no choice

Chapter 12! Naughty!TidusYuna luvins ahead….Look, I tried to keep this story clean, I did! But my damn dirty mind… Anyway. Thanks for the threats/reviews. Love 'em!!!

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"I still believe in your eyes…"

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Time stood still as Yuna absorbed Tidus' words.

As he looked up at her, she was absolutely floored. He really hadn't cheated on her? Why was he fighting with Bickson and Abus? All those things he said on the ship… He meant them in a different context? He felt _useless_ without her? Oh no, she had been so wrong…

Yuna slowly realized how hard she had tried to convince herself that he was a jerk, who didn't care about her feelings. A liar, a _cheater_. She had nearly made herself believe he was seeing other women and she wasn't enough for him.  She realized how horribly close she had come to making herself believe those awful things. And making the biggest mistake of her life. 

But as his beautiful blue eyes stared longingly up into hers, all those thoughts evaporated from her mind. He wasn't a cold-hearted monster, or a jerk. He was just Tidus. With his ticklish tummy and his silly laugh. Just Tidus, with his love for sweets and that little mole on his stomach that he always tried to tell her was a third nipple. Just Tidus, who was down on his knee, imploring her with teary eyes and his shaking hands. Tidus, the one she had longed for, who loved her and would never lie to her.

She believed him.

His trembling hand was still holding hers, and she tightened her grip. New tears welled up in her eyes, and she reached out with her free hand and cupped his clenched jaw tenderly. "I believe you," she whispered, pulling him up by their locked hands. 

His face crumbled as he stood and fiercely wrapped his arms around her waist. She pulled him tight against her by his bare shoulder with one arm, and cupped the back of his head with the other. Hey eyes squeezed shut against the sudden onslaught of emotion inside. Her heart was nearly bursting with it. She had been suppressing all the love and affection she had for him for the past two days, and his words had opened the floodgates in her. 

Tidus buried his face into the crook under her ear, and Yuna rubbed the heaving smoothness of his back reassuringly. She didn't know if the act was meant more to console him or herself. This was unreal. She could not believe they had such an incredible misunderstanding. But the relief that was now washing through her was dizzying. He hadn't been with anyone else. He didn't want anyone else. All was not lost. She squeezed him tighter, resting her forehead on his collarbone. "I'm so sorry Yuna," he choked into her shoulder. "I sorry I made you cry…"

She was sorry too. She was sorry that she thought he lied. She was sorry she had told herself all those awful things about him. But they were together, holding each other. That was all that mattered. "It's okay," she said gently, flexing her fingers against his scalp. "None of it matters now."

He nodded against her, sniffling as he calmed down. She realized that the whole time she had been so hurt by his supposed actions, he had been hurting just as badly by hers. He was so sensitive, and she felt just awful about making him sad too. But it was going to be okay. They didn't have to hurt anymore. Yuna smiled, blinking back her tears. He was still holding her tightly, and his embrace was so comforting. It had only been two days, but she sorely missed his arms around her. She turned her face into the warmth of his neck, and planted a kiss there. He smelled good; like his cologne and deodorant and his own Tidus-smell. At that moment, she decided that life was entirely too short and too unpredictable to be apart from him anymore.

Yuna felt his arms loosen a little, and he pulled back to look into her eyes. His gaze was intense, and she was almost mesmerized by it. That love - that undeniable force, was practically crackling in the air between them. Slowly, her eyes fell from his, to his full lips. She loved how his mouth curled at the corners, always ready to smile. She wanted him to smile from now on. Presently, she wanted him to kiss her. It took a second, but he must've seen her desire in her eyes. His mouth lifted at one corner, and he leaned down and gently touched his lips to hers.

It was heavenly.

As he kissed her, Yuna wondered how she had gone without this for so long. Granted two and a half days wasn't _long_, but it really felt that way. She moaned low in her throat as the kiss deepened, and his answering moan sent shivers through her. His hands slid up to cup her bare shoulder blades in his hands, and he began backing her toward the couch behind her. They stumbled a couple of times, laughing into each others mouths as they moved. Once Yuna's legs hit the couch, she fell back and pulled him down on top of her. Tidus' joyful laugh was music to her ears after such a turbulent time. He was placing most of his weight on his leg that was planted on the floor and he was resting on his hands that were planted on either side of her head. As he grinned down at her, Yuna pulled his face down to hers by his ears. "Come here," she giggled.

She kissed him then, sifting her hands through his hair at his ears and temples. She dimly noticed that he had finally gotten a haircut, thank goodness. The kiss intensified, and Yuna was beginning to get excited again. Slowly, Tidus lowered his torso on top of her, but rested the most his weight on his now-bent elbows. Yuna felt almost lightheaded from the heat of his bare skin against hers. He broke the kiss for a moment, breathing heavily. "Is this okay? Am I crushing you?" he asked, searching her eyes.

She shook her head. No, he wasn't at all. She loved the pressure of his body on her. Especially his lower body, which was pressing firmly into the vee of her hips. She bent her knee and rested her leg against the back of the couch. Her hands moved to stroke the firm planes of his chest. She absolutely loved him topless. Actually, she loved his entire body. Tidus had a body with a quiet strength, he wasn't overly muscular or bulky, but toned and well formed all over. Yuna knew she wasn't the only one who thought so, either. She'd seen women looking at him. Especially on the post-game blitzcast when he often interviewed topless. "Where is your shirt?" she asked. She had been wondering since she first saw him downstairs. 

"Gave it to a lucky kid," he smiled, kissing her nose.

He was so cute. She loved how Tidus was to his fans. She had never seen him refuse to sign an autograph, like she had other blitzers. He was always willing to do what it took to make a kid happy, and Yuna just knew that he would be a wonderful father one day. 

"Where are _your_ clothes?" 

Yuna laughed. "What do you mean?" She knew what, but she wanted to hear him say it.

His eyebrows rose thoughtfully. "Well, it looks like someone stole half of your outfit," he commented, running a finger in a slow line down her throat, over her chest, and into her belly button.

She jerked at the touch, giggling. Until Tidus, she never knew she was ticklish there. Well, until Tidus, no man had ever touched her there. "It does not. Rikku made me this outfit for the party. It's cute," she countered, reaching under his hair to finger his small earring. "I thought if you came for some reason, you would like it," she added quietly, looking up to gauge his reaction.

This seemed to relax him for some reason, and a slow smile spread across his face. Had he thought she had worn it for someone else? She wanted to ask him, but as he dropped a kiss on her waiting mouth, she decided it wasn't important.

A yawn snuck up on her, and she covered her mouth, excusing herself. Her head was still a little fuzzy from those fruit concoctions Brother had given her. They tasted very good, but she hadn't realized that they were probably alcoholic until it hit her on the dance floor. Since she had never tasted a drop of alcohol in her life, she couldn't recognize the taste, or the induced feeling. She didn't think she was _drunk_, just feeling hyper and she couldn't sit still earlier. Now, she was just tired. It could've been from the alcohol or the burst of emotion, or both. 

"Sorry I'm so boring," he said softly, pushing her hair from her forehead.

A sudden laugh escaped her at his joke. "I'm just a little tired."

He lifted himself from the couch and scooped her up in his arms. "So let's take a nap then," he suggested happily, starting down the dimly lit hallway toward the bedrooms.

His idea sounded great. Now that things between them were just about back to normal, she figured sleep would come easily. Yuna looped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. His proximity was warming her; she'd missed him too much. "Which room?" he asked, once they were standing between the two doors at the end of the hall.

"This one," she pointed to the door on his left.

He turned to steer them in and she amended that command. "No, that one."

Without a word, he turned back around toward the other door. "Wait. That one," she giggled.

Tidus lifted his arms, curling her closer to him. "Yuna, I love you, but I will throw you out the window," he chuckled.

She matched his laugh and pointed back to the room on his right. "It's that one, I promise," she giggled. It felt good to laugh after feeling so sad these past days. How had she made it an entire year without him?

He walked them into the guest room and set her on the soft bed. Rikku's entire place was decorated in red or yellow, and the guest room was no different. It was well furnished, with two plush chairs, a large, fluffy bed and a connecting bathroom. The walls were covered in Al Bhed art paintings, and a large, stainless steel entertainment center was the current recipient of Tidus' attention. "Sweeeeet," he commented, running his hand over the top of the large s.v. 

She watched as he went straight to the sports channel. What was it with men and sports? Wakka and Tidus were always watching sports shows or the nightly blitzcast. They hardly ever watched movies or the educational channels. Sports sports sports. Granted, they were always _on_ the blitzcast in one way or another, but still. Yuna shook her head at him as he hopped back in the bed.  "What?" he drawled, feigning exasperation. He knew very well "what".

"Nothing," she replied, yawning through her answering smile. 

He sat up against the headboard, and Yuna scooted over rested her head in his lap. The bed sheets were cool against her suddenly exhausted body. As his fingers ran through her hair, she closed her heavy eyes. She was so glad they were back together; this was how things should've been. A contented sigh left her, and she felt her breathing deepen. The sensation of his fingers tracing her jaw sent her into dreams.

*******

Not too much later, Yuna woke up on her stomach, to the sound of Tidus humming and the pleasant sensation of his hand sliding up and down her calf under the blanket. At first, it was strange, since she was so used to waking up alone lately, but their reconciliation came back to her and a sleepy smile spread across her face. Darkness had fallen outside, and the blinds were open, allowing slivers of moonlight to span the room. She must've slept for a while. 

Yuna propped herself up on her elbows and looked at him over her shoulder. He was sitting at the foot of the bed, watching the blitz commentary on a low volume. She really couldn't believe how thoughtful he was sometimes. He was obviously trying not to wake her, and he'd put her under the comforter sometime during her nap. It was times like that moment, when Yuna felt like the luckiest woman in Spira. She was suddenly overcome with the need to hold him. "Anything good?" she poked his leg with her toe. 

Slightly startled, he jerked around.  "Now there is."  He relaxed, gracing her with a warm smile. 

Yuna blushed, shaking her head at him. How did he always know how to get her heart beating like this? She rolled onto her back, opening her arms wide to him. Her lover's grin broadened, and he burrowed under the blanket from the end of the bed, and crawled up her body to greet her with a loud sloppy kiss.

He reached over her, flicking on the bedside lamp and settling over her. She smiled back up at him, tracing his features with her fingers. His black eye was healing nicely; the last time she had seen him, he looked like a battered raccoon. She tapped his cute little nose, with the faintest smattering of freckles across the bridge he thought made him look like a 'little kid'. Her finger slid into the slight dip between his bottom lip and his chin, then back up to lightly trace his lips and curve of his chin with her fingertips. 

He was patient; enduring her exploration with an amused half smile. She watched as he turned his head and pressed a kiss to her palm, keeping his eyes on hers all the while. He moved on to dip his head and kiss her neck with an open mouth, causing goosebumps to rise all over her. He was awakening the desire in her that she had been afraid of never having with him again. This experience had taught her to never take this intimacy with him for granted again. 

Usually, she took a rather passive role in their play. But the day on the ship to Bevelle, she had gotten up the nerve to surprise him in his sleep. She was terrified, and her hands had been unsteady at first, but his happy noises and gentle encouragement had quickly eased her nerves. It had been an incredible experience; he'd felt so warm and alive between her palms. And when he'd reached his pinnacle, they way he groaned her name had aroused her immensely. Not to mention, the incredible attention he'd lavished on her directly afterwards.

She wanted that again tonight.

Back in the present, he was kissing the spot where her jaw and neck met, while his hand was wandering up her skirt to her hip. As he slid his other arm under her neck, she dipped a hand into the back of his shorts, gently pulling him against her. He jerked at the contact and squeezed her hip firmly. 

She grabbed his head and kissed him again, as deeply as she could. She found herself wanting to be closer to him still, even though they were flush against each other. It was intoxicating for her; she could feel him everywhere. She could taste him, run her hands over his body, smell his manly scent, and she could hear their rapidly beating hearts in the quietness of the room. He was suffusing all of her senses and she loved it.

But a sudden thought wiggled into the thick haze that was her brain at the moment. She'd nearly forgotten they were in Rikku's house, about to terribly disrespect her furniture. She giggled stupidly at her own thought, knowing she was holding Tidus fully responsible for her giddiness. He lifted his face above hers, breathing heavily. "What's so funny?" he panted.

She shook her head, suppressing the giggles. His hair was sticking up everywhere from where her hands had been, and combined with that black eye and the wild look in his eyes, it was funny. He looked like some crazy caged animal. "Nothing," she fibbed. "We just can't do this here." She was loathe to stop, but it was true.

"Why not?" His hand was running down her bare midriff. 

"Because we don't live heeere," she sang. Tidus really had a one-track mind sometimes. 

Understanding finally showed in the disappointment on his face. She pressed a final kiss to his parted mouth, letting his taste linger on her lips. "Yeah, Rikku would kill us, huh?" he groaned, gingerly pushing himself to a sitting position beside her, outside the covers. 

A blanket of cooler air rushed over her at the departure of his warm body, and she gathered the blanket around her. Yuna watched in open amusement as he threw his head back against the wall and covered his eyes with his hands. His chest was heaving, and she could tell he was trying to control of himself. She wondered if all boys got this worked up or if it was just Tidus. 'Probably just Tidus,' she thought. Yuna directed a smile at him, scooting back and resting her head against the top of the large pillow at her back. She wanted this with him as well, but there was no way she could in Rikku's guest room. It was bad enough that she couldn't rein her lust in on the ship. 

But how could she? Her eyes raked over his body, studying him for the first time that night. He was topless for goodness sake, and his tanned, muscular torso made her hands want to explore all the hills and valleys of him. The long, red beach shorts she'd bought for him adorned his lower body, which were proudly displaying his excitement from their actions just minutes before. Yuna confirmed for the umpteenth time that she absolutely loved his body.

After a minute, his breathing had evened out, and his shorts were less…excited in the front. "Don't worry, I'll make it up to you when we get home," she promised, folding her hands on her tummy. 

He peeked at her from between his fingers. "Really?"

She nodded at him, smiling at his enthusiasm. His hands fell from his face, and he reached down to the end of the blanket and took her feet in his hands. "Maybe I'll make it up to _you_," he said, pulling her legs around so her feet rested in his lap.

 "Really?" she echoed, wiggling her toes. She hoped he wasn't going to tickle her.

"Mmm-hmm," he smiled, beginning to rub her feet.

Yuna relaxed, half-sitting up, on her side into the mountain of pillows, humming her contentment. She had never had a foot rub before, and never desired one, but she was beginning to see why Lulu was always raving about Wakka rubbing her feet. It felt wonderful. With her eyes closed, it was easy to picture herself, rounded with child, while Tidus did this very thing for her. She thought about parenthood often, but never broached the subject with him. She knew how he felt about his upbringing and how secretly insecure he was because of it. But she would spend forever proving to him otherwise, if that's what it took.

The two sat in a lazy silence, Yuna enjoying his loving ministrations while he rubbed her and watched the blitzcast. This ordeal had brought their feelings to the forefront and tested their love successfully. There were still other questions on her mind and she was sure he had a few things he would like to discuss with her as well. Yuna couldn't think of a better time to open up a forum with him; they had already wasted so much time with petty things anyway. "Tidus?"

"Hmm?" 

She was a little nervous about raising the subject, but she told herself that doing so would raise their comfort level with each other in this arena. "Will you do this for me when I am pregnant?"

His eyes brightened, and he smiled widely. "Well yeah!" he replied happily. "Like every day."

She chuckled at his enthusiasm. He'd obviously thought about this very thing. This was a really good idea. "You're going to be a wonderful father one day." 

Her foot rub ceased. "I um…I'm gonna try really hard Yuna." His insecurity was beginning to show in his eyes.

She shook her head. "No trying," she said, crunching her toes in his bare side to hear him laugh. "you just will."

"You're gonna be an awesome mom, you know," he said, once his laugher died down.

She felt herself blush a little. "Thank you."

Although she always hoped she would be, it was humbling to hear it from Tidus' mouth. Like him, she had secret fears, but his never-dying faith in her never ceased to amaze her. But over the past few days, she hadn't shown him the same faith. Her stomach sunk at the sudden thought, and she fixed her eyes on her hands.  She was ashamed of herself. He needed to know. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you," she offered quietly.

She felt his eyes on her, but didn't dare look up. "Why? You saw what you saw. What were you supposed to think?"

What _was_ she supposed to think? But shouldn't she have given him the benefit of the doubt? Been more understanding and asked for his side of the story? Actually, she had, but in retrospect, the action had been nothing more than semantics. The truth was: she had wanted to be angry with him. Because she was jealous of the attention women gave him? Because she felt inadequate? She gasped.

"Hey babe," he was shaking her legs by her ankles, breaking into her thoughts. "What's wrong?"

She swallowed, finally bringing her eyes up to his. It was awful, but she finally understood the emotion lurking behind her actions. Oh, how she was tempted to just keep it inside like she always had. But she couldn't; not in the face of this test their relationship had endured. She wouldn't, not in the face of the honesty that was written all over his face. Yuna took a deep breath, and sat up. "Do you….do you think that I'm…" Goodness, she was stuttering, and she felt foolish for not being able to articulate her thoughts. 

Tidus chuckled. "Yuna, slooow down. Don't be nervous." His gentle smile eased her fears, and she smiled back. "You can ask me anything." He was stroking the tops of her feet.

"I just, I don't," she began, "sometimes I feel like I'm not enough for you. Every woman and girl in Spira swoons when they see you, and some of them are really pretty and I realize that this sounds strange-"

"Huh-uh, Yuna," he objected, sitting up completely straight. "Come here." 

He reached for her, and Yuna let him pull her closer to him by her hands. Her cheeks were on fire, and she felt torn between embarrassment for allowing him to see an insecurity she'd hidden so deeply inside, and relief for the same reason. He leaned forward and planted a tender kiss on her forehead. "I think…" he began, pulling away and looking down at their laced hands, "that you are the most beautiful girl in the world. I love you with like, all of me. And it's not so strange. Sometimes I kinda feel that way too, you know. Like you could do waaay better than me."

Her brows knit together. Better than him? Better than the person who had just given her a foot rub for no reason? How could he think that? He was wonderful; everything she had ever dreamed of as a little girl. "No," she said in a near whisper, "you're my everything."

A small smile appeared on his face. "You know, I never knew you could dance like that."

Oh yeah. She'd forgotten about that. But it sounded like he liked what he saw. In all fact, the alcohol had given her the courage to just let loose on the dance floor. She giggled nervously. "I was just having some fun."

He was playing with her fingers. "I'm glad. I'll bet nobody ever knew Lady Yuna could move it like _that_," he joked, shaking his shoulders and hips.

Laughing, she smacked his arm. "Keep talking and it will never happen again," she threatened.

"Oh man, I'm sorry Yuna. I take it back," he trailed off in a laugh.

"I forgive you," she smiled.

A frown suddenly creased his forehead and he licked his lips. "Hey, I wanna talk to you about something."

She tilted her head, feeling a small jolt of butterflies. "Okay."

He looked nervous, and she saw him swallow before he spoke. "I um, I know that you're um, a virgin." 

Yes, she was. She nodded.

"But I'm not." he looked up at her, biting his lip.

Though she suspected that he wasn't, her stomach dropped when he said the words. Her mind was racing, picturing him kissing and touching other women like he did to her. She couldn't help it; she was jealous. "W-with women in your Zanarkand?"

He nodded sadly. "Yeah."

She told herself to be quiet, but she kept talking "How many women?"

He hesitated before he responded. "Four," he breathed, looking down.

Four. He had slept with four different women. It was almost shocking to hear. Her Tidus had made love with four women. _They_ hadn't even made love. What did that _mean_? She wasn't hurt, or angry, just a little jealous. And confused. Okay, she was really jealous. "You made love with four women?"

His head snapped up and he shook it violently. "No." His usually genial voice was firm. 

What? "I though you said-"

His finger on her lips silenced her. "Hang on, now, I said I've been with women. I had sex. I thought I was a stud or somethin back then." He was gesturing with his hands, punctuating his words. She had never seen shame on his face before that moment. "I mean, I've never loved a woman in my life, so I've never _made love_ to anyone but you…"

Now he was really confusing her. It must've shown on her face because he began to explain. Her hands became suddenly very interesting to him, as he focused intently downward. "This is gonna sound so dumb, but I feel like I, you know, make love with you when I touch you or um, when we, when we um, kiss. I just want us to go slow, and wait till it's right, you know? I think we'll just kinda know when it's our time." He frowned then. "Does that make any sense?" he asked, raising hopeful eyes to hers.

Wow, was her first thought. He wasn't dumb for thinking that at all. Sweet, yes. Not dumb. His words warmed her with the love in them, and she leaned over and touched her mouth to his. "Yes," she said against his lips.

She felt his hands splay across the small of her back as they kissed languidly. As he _made love_ to her. Yuna moaned softly at the sensuality of the thought, and looped an arm around his neck. It was such an arousing thought - to make love to someone with your mouth or just your hands. She had never thought of it that way, but she felt incredibly happy that he did. His hand slid down to rest on the curve of her hip while her other hand slid up his firm chest, over the cool ridges of his heavy chain, and up to cup his jaw behind his ear. He was letting her take the lead, making yummy moaning noises in his throat as she took control of the kiss. She tried to infuse every movement of her lips on his with the love she felt inside for him, instead of her usual technique. It was a new concept to her. Trust Tidus to open her eyes.

How was it possible to love someone this much? She knew in her heart that they belonged together. Only before, she thought it was merely love. True love, even. She had no idea that it was something elemental like this. This thing that bound them through such trivialities as time and dimensions. Death and loss. Dreams and reality. 

Yuna absolutely adored Tidus. His kiss. His heart. Everything. She only then realized that she had no real choice in the matter. Neither did he. They were created for each other.

They kissed for long minutes, and for the first time, Yuna felt unhurried. She wasn't nervous about pleasing him or letting her feelings for him rush them. In the end, he was the one who finally broke their passionate kiss, tapering off with small kisses around her mouth and along her jawline. "We need to stop, Yuna," he said quietly, sounding as reluctant to stop as she felt. "I totally can't get worked up again."

Yuna kept her eyes on his heavy lidded ones, positive that his expression matched hers. His lips were swollen from her kisses, and his cheeks were a little rosy. He looked fairly "worked up" already, and she decided to tease him a little. She licked her lips, and she saw his eyes immediately drop to her mouth, and a she let a finger trace the top of the waistband of his shorts. "Why not?" she mimicked his words from earlier, struggling to keep a straight face.

He chuckled, and lifted her hand from his waist to lace it with his. "You're mean Yuna."

It was amazing, the ease they had with each other. "No I'm not, I told you I will make it up to you when we get back to Besaid."

Satisfied with her response, he fell onto his back. "Oh maaaaan," he groaned, reaching for her. "You are awesome."

She reached down and brought the blanket up to cover them as she curled into his side. "With you I am," she smiled, kissing his yawning cheek.

He sighed, propping himself up on an elbow to lie on his side. "You make me so happy," he said, cupping her chin in his hand.

She felt the same. "Me too," she smiled, rubbing his forearm.

"_You_ make you happy? You're so self-centered, Yuna," he complained, flipping onto his other side away from her in mock anger.

Laughing, she sat up, and began tickling his sides. As his mirthful laughter filled the room, Yuna decided that life was perfect.

To be continued….


	17. Tidus' proposal: Always, Then

Chapter13!

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"Fall into me…"

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Rikku's second birthday party turned out as good as the first, except on a much smaller scale. The big "surprise" had begun a couple of hours ago while it was still dusk, and even through nightfall, the party was still going strong. The entire isle was out dancing and socializing to the live island music on a dance floor of sand alit with tiki torches. 

Tidus stood against the side of a closed store hut, silently absorbing the party while sipping his mug of ale. Yuna wasn't kidding when she said she liked to dance. As soon as the first drum hit, she had pulled him out there. It was now an hour later, and she was still out there. Thank goodness Botta wanted to cut in so he could take a little break. Not that he minded having an excuse to grind his body on hers in public; he just didn't like dancing as much as she did. Besides, Tidus knew that his teammate had a never-dying crush on Yuna and would gladly take the invitation until he came back. In all honesty, he didn't care about any of that. After his and Yuna's talk the night before, he had no worries concerning their relationship.  But he kept an eye on her anyway; just to make sure Botta's hands didn't wander anywhere they weren't supposed to. He really didn't want to have to knock him out.

Somehow, maybe through the prayers to the Fayth, Jassu had gotten Paine out there. Tidus chuckled to himself. She was actually a really good dancer, for someone who seemed to hold so much back all the time. Lulu and Wakka were dancing too, and he was strangely not surprised at Lulu's aptitude for dancing. Watching Wakka dance, however, was kind of funny. But it looked like his wife was having too much fun to care.

Tidus turned around and placed his mug, half-full, on the serving platter standing next to him. He couldn't finish it anyway, he was so nervous. His hopefully-wife-to-be was out dancing, while he was agonizing over proposing to her. The ring was in the pocket of his cotton drawstring pants, and so was his hand, toying with the box. He'd been wanting to ask her for what seemed like forever. Last night, in the heat of their emotional passion, he'd come so close, but he had barely kept himself from popping the question. He decided that he wanted to make it even more special by asking her in front of all the people she grew up with, who loved her for her. From the past month and a half of interacting with all of the islanders, he realized that the people in Besaid truly loved Yuna. She wasn't Summoner Yuna to them. She was simply Yuna, who all of them had known since she was a little girl, who later became Lady Yuna as she came of age. 

He let out a puff of air, and reached up to scratch the back of his head. Why was this so hard? There was this sense of total understanding between them, and Yuna seemed more relaxed and happy with him than ever. She had even written him a love note in her neat little handwriting and hidden it in his pack before practice that afternoon, telling him how much she loved him. Tidus smiled. She was so adorable. 

He just knew she would say yes. She had to. They totally belonged together. Even the Farplane couldn't keep them apart. So why were his hands shaking and his feet turned into lead when he tried to walk over to her? Damn it, he thought, exasperated.

Besides that, he had rehearsed what he was going to say millions of times, down to a tee. But Lulu's advice the other night had stuck with him. Speaking from his heart is what had mended things between him and Yuna, so proposing to her and just telling her his feelings as they came would work. He hoped so anyway. 

Tidus stood there, mulling over the situation, when Kimahri walked over and stood next to him. The Ronso leader had surprised them all by coming to Besaid that morning by ship. Yuna and Rikku had been ecstatic to see him, since he lived so far away. Tidus thought it was really cool that he'd come all this way just for Rikku's birthday, in spite of how busy he was. Well, with running his own people and all. Before he could open his mouth to greet his friend, Kimahri spoke. "Tidus want to marry Yuna."

"Yeah, I do," he said sincerely. He guessed Lulu had told him of his intentions.

As always, Kimahri was stone-faced, and Tidus could see the flames from the torches reflecting in his eyes. "Yuna happy, then Kimahri happy."

A smile spread across Tidus' face. Having Kimahri's approval kind of felt like asking Lord Braska himself and getting his approval. He often wondered if Yuna's legendary father would have approved of him, but this was the next best thing. "Thanks, Kimahri," he said.

The proud warrior nodded once, reached over and patted a giant palm on his head, then walked off, leaving giant footprints in the sand. Tidus watched Kimahri walk in the direction of the food table, where Lulu was already standing with Wakka, Rikku and Blappa. Tidus laughed. Man, she ate so much. At this rate, her baby was going to be the size of Wakka when she had it. Rikku saw him and waved, and he returned the gesture with a grin. She looked so happy. When they had all brought her out to the beach and surprised her with her gifts and a party, she had lit up like fireworks at night. He figured she didn't know how many people in Besaid really cared for her as Yuna's friend and guardian, despite her Al Bhed lineage. Half of them still didn't know Yuna was Al Bhed, much less that they were cousins.

He glanced over at the dancing crowd again, and saw Yuna making her way toward him. His grin widened at the sight of her. She too was smiling brightly, and her face was absolutely glowing from her activities. A white tank top adorned her upper body, while a long lavender and white skirt covered her legs to the ankles. He was kind of wishing she were wearing the outfit from the night before, but it really didn't matter; she would still be sexy if she were wearing a paper bag. As she approached, she silently took his hand and led him away from the party. 

They made they way down to the shoreline, and Yuna released his hand to tiptoe into the very edge of the water. She hiked her skirt up around her knees and eased her legs into the gentle waves. As Tidus began to get lost in looking at her, she turned around suddenly and kicked a surprisingly copious amount of water all over the front of his pants. "Hey!" he objected, swiping ineffectually at his wet clothing. 

When he looked back up, she was already giggling and running down the beach. Okay, so she wanted to play, huh? He began to run after her, his unbuttoned beach shirt flapping in the wind while his pants became soaked to his knees. He decided he was going to throw her in the waves when he caught her. The blitzer's legs were longer than hers, so it wasn't long before he doubled her stride and caught up. He lunged forward; wrapping his arms around her squirming form, and began carrying her out into the water. She was kicking her legs, trying to pry his arms from around her waist. "Noooo!" she yelled, laughing through her struggle.

Tidus showed no mercy, instead tossing her into the waves. She went under head first, and he was laughing at the sight of only her bare feet sticking up above the water.  Seconds later, she surfaced, sputtering, and pushing her wet hair out of her face Still laughing, he turned and sloshed his way toward the shore, pulling up his now-soaked and sagging pants as he went. He heard her coming behind him, and turned to face her sure-to-come wrath. However, Tidus' laugh immediately ceased at the sight of her now-transparent top. He could see…everything. She wasn't even wearing a bra…

Yuna capitalized on his temporary moment of weakness, leaping over and tackling him onto his back in the sand. She pinned his arms over his head by the wrists, and straddled his waist, pressing his body into the softness of the wet sand. Her grin was wide and she was still giggling, probably expecting him to fight back.

But he couldn't. Tidus felt like time was standing still as he looked up at her. There was a half moon out, and the clear island sky was alit with millions of stars. A warm breeze flowed over them, and the only sound was the distant sounds of the party, and the waves lapping against their intertwined bodies. Yuna was smiling down at him, and her green and blue eyes were dancing with happiness. Her brown locks were was hanging in her face, and little beads of water dotted her moonlit features. 

She looked beautiful; merely an older version of the same girl he'd kissed in the woods one night, almost two years ago.

Suddenly, her features changed to a worried look. "What's wrong?" she asked, searching his eyes.

He wanted to smile to reassure her, but he was still in awe of her. Tidus got like that sometimes, just looking at this beautiful girl who was an even more beautiful and caring person. "Nothing," he said softly, sitting up and wrapping his arms around her narrow waist. The tide had risen just a little, and the lapping water bathed him up to the middle of his thighs, and then retreated.

Reaching up, he cupped her face in his palm and brushed his thumb across her cheek as he thought. She laced her fingers together behind his neck, with a thoughtful-looking indulgence. 

Tidus had noticed that Yuna had matured so much in the year he'd missed. She was always hot before, but now she was sexy. Her baby face had become more angular, more womanly. She'd grown a couple of inches, and she'd cut her hair, save the long braided ponytail she kept. Her body had filled out very nicely too. She'd always been slim, but she had become more active and acquired some nice muscle tone. Tidus loved her body, clothed and unclothed, but her mind and spirit had changed the most and that was where his heart was. 

Yuna was more assertive, and a little more outgoing. Her thoughts had always been written all over her face, and she was still the same in that respect. But she allowed herself to be silly, and embraced her humorous side more often. But besides all that, she was happy. Before, she would smile often, but the slump of her shoulders and the sadness etched in her eyes gave her away. Now, the weight of saving the world had been lifted from her shoulders, and she was finally allowed to be the teenager she was. She didn't have to be a summoner and live by those stupid rules anymore. Well, there was still the issue with Spira's reliance on her for a new religion, and her self-imposed mission with those teachings but they were working on that. In the meanwhile, he wanted to give her the normal life she'd always wanted and deserved.

The butterflies going crazy in his stomach were his cue. Finally, after all the craziness they'd been through this past week, after the horrible pilgrimage, and their painful goodbye, and after all of their lives they spent apart, he in Zanarkand and she 1000 years in the future in Spira, waiting for each other but not even knowing it…

"Yuna," Shit, he was already fighting tears. He really was a crybaby.

Her eyes widened as he reached up and took her hands from his neck to hold between them. She knew. But he kept going. Speak from your heart, speak from your heart, was the mantra the kept repeating itself in his head. He took a deep breath and swallowed, trying to calm himself. "You know I love you right?"

She nodded her head almost imperceptibly, and he could feel her hands begin to shake. Or were those his hands shaking? He looked up and found reassurance in her eyes, and the words kept falling from his mouth. "I feel like I've loved you forever, but it's like I'm _supposed_ to love you. Nothing else makes sense sometimes. Even back during your pilgrimage, when things didn't make any sense and I was confused about myself, I wasn't confused when it came to you."

Her eyes were filled with tears, and Tidus blinked his back. "I love everything about you, you're smart and you're funny and your pretty and so, just….perfect." Her head dipped, and even in the moonlight, he could see the flush stain her neck and cheeks. He chuckled at her modesty. "You are! You can always make me happy when I'm sad and you always know just what to say to make me feel good about myself. No one in my whole life has made me this happy." He began stroking her hands, and was vaguely surprised that his hands were steady, while hers were shaking. "I want to make you as happy as you make me, even if it takes forever to try." She was actually crying at his words; he saw a single tear sneak from the corner of her eye, and roll down her cheek to join the droplets of seawater already there. He reached down into his pocket and pulled out the velvet box, flicking it open. "Yuna, will you marry me?" He was afraid she couldn't hear him speaking over the thumping of his heart.

Her big wet eyes got wider at the sight of the shining ring, and her mouth began opening and closing like a fish, but no sound came out. "Say yeeeessss," he chuckled, nodding his head and inviting her to do the same.

Yuna finally began nodding slowly, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yes, yes yes, yes" she gushed happily, pulling him to her and squeezing him tight.

Tidus choked a little from her death grip on his esophagus, and managed to squeeze out a chuckle. "Hey, you didn't let me put your ring on," he objected, still managing a huge grin.

His chest felt like it was going to explode. He asked her. She said yes. And when she pulled back and let him slide the ring on her finger, he couldn't wrap his mind around it. Yuna of Besaid. The legendary Summoner's daughter, savior of the world, and the girl who secretly sang in the shower, was going to be his wife. Him. His wife. Man, what a concept.

Both of their eyes were glued to her hand, which was turning this way and that while she inspected the ring. "It's so beautiful," she whispered slowly. The awe was evident in her voice.

Tidus smiled. All his finagling to get that ring was worth it, just from the look on her face. Her eyebrows were near her hairline as she studied it, and his grin was ear to ear as he studied her. "Hey, these small stones are from Macalania, aren't they?"

He nodded. "Yeah, and the diamond is from the Gagazet caves," he commented.

Yuna looked up at him with raised eyebrows. "Tidus, this must have been so _expensive_," she said. He could tell she wanted reprimand him for spending so much Gil on her, but she liked it too much to do so. "When did you get this?"

"That day in Bevelle," he replied, wiping her residual tears.

Her look went from happiness to a stunned expression. Her knew she was thinking about being so mad at him, while he was busy thinking of her. She'd been beating herself up over it constantly for the past day, and trying to hide it from him. He wanted that to stop. This was their new beginning together. _Their_ story. Tidus kissed her cheek softly. "Hey, don't," he whispered against her cool skin.

Yuna nodded, understanding. "And as for the Gil," he grinned, "you only get married once, right?"

A slow smile spread across her face as she hugged him tightly to her. "I love you," she whispered, kissing his temple.

Tidus closed his eyes, and wrapped his arms around her soaked body. He simply could not believe it. They were getting married. How had he ended up so lucky? "I'm gonna take such good care of you…" he whispered, kissing her bare shoulder.

"Me too," she whispered, laying her cheek on his shoulder.

He grinned. "You're gonna take-"

She pulled back, planting a firm hand over his mouth before he could finish. He chuckled, and watched as she slowly moved her hand and replaced it with her warm lips. Fuck. Speaking of maturity. Yuna had matured very much sexually speaking too. In the beginning, she had been very shy and awkward, but now she had developed a sweet sensuality that got better every day. He'd learned that she loved to kiss and be kissed. Also, she had acquired a kissing technique all her own that Tidus absolutely loved. 

He hummed his pleasure, encouraging her to further take the lead. She complied; pushing his shirt down his arms to hang at his elbows, and ran her hands over his exposed upper body. The smooth, cool sensation of the gold band that adorned her finger was odd to him as it glided across his chest. Tidus felt the excitement building in him, and he was sure Yuna could feel it already through his soaked pants. His hands slid up under the back of her shirt, to rub warmth into her chilled skin. He wanted to lift the little shirt over her head, so he could see her body in the moonlight, but before he could do anything about it, she broke the kiss and pushed him flat onto his back again in the wet sand. His hands fell free, but he quickly slid them up the outsides of her thighs under her skirt. It was strange, in all their play together, he had never wanted her so much. He guessed it was because she was now his betrothed, plus the fact that she was sitting astride him on the beach for the entire world to see. He felt so free with her. Like anything was possible. 

Yuna's hands went to his hair, and she slowly dragged them down the sides of his face, over his chest, and down to the string of his pants. Their eyes were locked, and the lust he saw there nearly made him faint. "Do you want me?" she asked, so softly he could barely hear her over his breathing.

Oops, he almost fainted again. He nodded, with his mouth hanging open like an idiot. "But we're um, we're on the uh, beach. And the party…someone would see." he threw a glance toward the fire lit gathering no less than a quarter mile away.

She looked over at the group, considering. Tidus smirked to himself. She must have been so lost in the moment that she'd forgotten about the party. 'Duh Yuna' he thought with a grin. Her eyes fell to his chest. "You're right, I don't know what I was thinking." She looked like she felt stupid.

Oh no, he wasn't going to let her feel bad about sex, or wanting him. Since they were going to be married, he wanted her as sexually liberated as possible. Even if his reasons were a little selfish. "You were thinking about doin me, you perv," he teased, rubbing her back affectionately.

She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Tidus laughed as she blushed furiously. He loved how her skin gave her feelings away so often; especially when it came to his teasing. "You're awful," she chastised, slapping his arm.

"Yeah, but you're the one who's gonna marry me," he grinned, pulling her down on top of him.

She relaxed in his arms. "No I'm not, I'm going to sell my ring tomorrow and buy a new dress."

"Well if you stay with me, I'll take care of you. Just like a new blitzball."

"You're going to kick me around and share me with your team?"

Tidus pulled back to look at her face. He was loving her unexpected banter. Poor Yuna, apparently his dirty mind was contagious. "_Lady Yuna_," he gasped, "now what would the Bevelle priests think about you fantasizing about that?"

She turned in his arms, and pushed herself up onto her elbows above him. "I fantasize about you," she replied, shyly.

He leaned up and pressed a kiss to her cute little chin. "After our wedding night, you won't have to fantasize anymore," he murmured, pushing a clump of her hair back.

"I can't wait," she smiled softly, seeming to really like his response. 

He watched as she pushed herself to her knees, and then stood above him. "We'd better get back," she suggested, reaching her hands out to him.

Nodding, he took her hands and stood. "Yeah, so we can spread the good news, huh?" he said happily. Man, he couldn't believe they were going to be married.

She beamed at him. "Yes, everyone will be so surprised."

He smiled, laughing inwardly. If she only knew. They began walking back toward the party, hand in hand and Tidus was playing with her ring with his fingers. He glanced above their heads at the clear sky and moon, peeking between the leaves of the palm trees, and then out at the sea. He was suddenly overcome with wanting to just be alone with her before they broke the news to everyone else. He was loath to leave this magical bubble they'd created, just for the two of them. He stopped walking completely, and turned toward the sea. She stopped as well, and he felt her questioning gaze on him. "Will you stay out here with me for just a little longer?" he asked, facing her.

A small smile of understanding appeared, and she nodded. "I'll stay with you forever," she said sincerely.

He sighed, absorbing the love that radiated from her. "Even when I'm an old man and I can't blitz anymore?"

Giggling, she nodded. "Yes, all the way till the end of time."

A sudden memory flashed in his mind, from that night in Macalania. He spoke softly, pulling her close to him. "Not till the end…always." 

She tucked her head under his chin and wrapped her arms around his waist, warming him. "Always, then." 

As he held Yuna amid the backdrop of stars, the ocean and a celebration, he felt complete. Life was officially perfect.


	18. Yuna's proposal: Thanks Overdue

Alright…y'all talked me into it. ;) Chapter 14! Working up to the wedding…

Special thanks to: Noelle aka mistiza for helping me with my writer's block and Lucy aka Hiasha for encouraging me soooo much. You ladies rock!

And…Thanks to every reviewer throughout this entire story for their ideas, encouragement, and for reading! Means the world to lil old me. :)

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"I want to thank you.  For giving me the best days…of my life."

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"All done," Yuna sang happily, laying Kimahri's heavy braid back down his shoulder.

Her lifelong guardian rose from his seated position, and retrieved his ever-present spear from the side of the sofa. "Yuna braid like Ronso."

This made Yuna smile. When she was a little girl, Kimahri used to grudgingly let her practice braiding his long mane of hair. The little ritual had remained a special bonding between them over the years; he would sit patiently while she braided his hair. She had gotten really good, and Kimahri didn't fidget anymore. During her pilgrimage, Yuna often wondered sadly who would braid his hair once she was gone. But now, he would come every few weeks, to get his hair re-braided, even though Ronso women knew fully well how to do it. He would never tell her so in words, but she knew he came because he missed her as much as she missed him. 

"Thank you, Kimahri," she smiled up at him. But she saddened, thinking of how it would probably be weeks until she saw him again. "But I wish you didn't have to go."

She stood as well, following him to the door. Now that the night of the party was over, it was back to business for Kimahri, which meant back to Mt. Gagazet. Yuna was always sad to see him go, since she didn't get to see him everyday anymore. She watched as he pulled the strap of his leather canteen over a massive shoulder. "Kimahri has important duties in Gagazet. Yuna knows."

She sighed. "I know. I just wish you stayed closer to us."

No one else would've been able to tell, but Yuna saw a slight flicker of softness cross Kimahri's usually steely gaze. He offered her his bent elbow. "Yuna walk Kimahri to dock."

Yuna smiled, feeling warmed by his gentleness toward her. As she slipped her hand into the warm crook of his arm, she hoped that one day, Kimahri would have a nice wife to show his gentle side to, as well as lots of kids for her to play with when he visited. Maybe, she thought wistfully, their children would grow up together.

The two left the house, and began down the beach. It was early, and Yuna could hear the birds chirping in the trees as they walked by. Kyrt, the young fisherman who lived two houses down, was already pushing his boat to sea to get an early start on the day. The sun had yet to rise, and the night chill was still looming on the beach. Ahead, she could see the others already waiting at the dock to see Kimahri off. It was nice; they usually left her and Kimahri alone to bond for a little while when he visited, or when she visited him. She knew their relationship was special, he was the only person she'd ever known with whom she could have a conversation without speaking.  She supposed knowing someone who'd protected her since she was seven years old would do that. 

Yuna loved Kimahri will all of her heart. She loved Tidus madly, and very deeply, but this bond she shared with Kimahri was like family. He was there for her when she was a lost little girl without her parents, who was forced to move away from her friends and life in the capital and to a new island. He gave up his honor and birth rite in his Ronso clan, to be her guardian for life. He'd held her when she cried, tossed her in the air to make her laugh, and he was even there for her the day she broke the news to the island that she would follow in her father's legendary footsteps. Chappu, Wakka and Lulu tried to talk her out of it from the beginning, but Kimahri just accepted her decision and treated her as an adult. His strong, silent support had been Yuna's strength many times in her young life. She wanted to repay him. Or at least show him some kind of deep respect to thank him for all he'd done for her.

"Kimahri, I would like to have a Ronso wedding," she told him, after they'd walked for while. "Do you think that would be okay?"

Her large guardian didn't respond for almost a minute, but he never broke their steady pace. "Yuna have Ronso wedding to match Ronso diamond," he stated, and Yuna saw a minute hint of a smile.

She beamed, hugging his fuzzy barrel of an arm. "Yes, I will. I want to have it at Mt. Gagazet and everything," she gushed excitedly, suppressing the urge to skip.

They walked onto the wooden planks of the dock, just as the departing horn blared from the boat. Even though they'd played out this scenario many times, Yuna was still a little sad to have to say goodbye again. She watched silently as everyone said their goodbyes and wished him well, but she smiled when Rikku tried to wrap her arms around Kimahri only to find that he was too big. 

Kimahri turned to face Yuna, hulking over her as usual. He told her, "Kimahri make arrangements." 

"Thank you," she said, her statement layered with meanings. Yuna smiled into his burly chest and inhaled deeply as she hugged him goodbye She felt his large palm pat her hair affectionately. Slowly, he gently released her, and stepped onto the deck of the boat. They shared one of their looks; his eyes told her he was going to miss her too. He stood proudly, firmly tapping the end of his spear on the deck in a very Kimahri-goodbye. "See you soon," she smiled, waving as the S.S. Liki pulled away from the dock, rocking slightly with the waves.

Yuna stood with Rikku, Lulu, Wakka and Paine, and they all watched as the boat sailed away into the distance. Her friends all knew of the relationship she had with Kimahri, and she thought it was very nice of them to wake up so early to see him off and walk her home. At times, it seemed a little silly of them to pay her so much attention, but she figured that they just didn't want her to be sad. She was so blessed to have friends like them. 

"Let's go everyone," she said finally, urging them back home.

"Are you gonna cook breakfast Lulu?" Rikku asked excitedly, catapulting herself on Wakka's back as they started walking.

"Ey!" Wakka laughed in surprise, but began to pack her anyway. "You don need no food, you weigh too much already, ya?"

"Hey!" Rikku objected. She reached around and pinched Wakka's tummy, eliciting a yelp out of him. "No I don't! I'm sooo malnoursished! Maybe if Lulu fed me more often…" she trailed off, giving Lulu puppy dog eyes.

Yuna chuckled at her cousin's exuberance. It was no secret that Rikku would do anything to get Lulu in the kitchen to cook for her. She was a really good cook; she'd been cooking for her, Wakka, and Chappu since they were very young. Even picky Kimahri ate her food. "I suppose I could," Lulu conceded. "But someone will need to go to the market."

"I'll help you, Lulu," Yuna offered. Lulu looked sleepy, no use having her cook by herself. 

"Maybe Mister Yuna will do the dishes."

Yuna looked over at Paine, who was smirking next to her. "Maybe Mister Paine will come over and do your dishes," she retorted under her breath, starting a full sprint to the house before she finished the sentence.

The laughter was bubbling out of her, as Paine playfully chased her to the house. Yuna was just in front of the porch, when Paine's footsteps finally caught up and she tackled her into the sand. She sat on her stomach, locking her legs around Yuna's sides. She tried to fight back, but they were both laughing so hard and Paine was so strong that she couldn't. Instead, she squealed as Paine threatened to put sand in her mouth. "Say it, Yuna," Paine ordered, grinning evilly.

"Never!" Yuna laughed, tossing her head from side to side and trying to squirm from under her. Her aggressor wanted her to say that Paine was the most beautiful woman in Spira. She always made her or Rikku say it, instead of something simple, like uncle. 

Suddenly a flash of blonde appeared over Paine's shoulder. "Leave her alone you meanie!" Paine's grip on her hands loosened, as she and Rikku toppled to the sand in a laughing heap. 

Taking advantage of the moment, Yuna stood quickly, scampering up the steps to the door and brushing the sand off her bottom. Thank goodness she hadn't gotten too dirty. She really didn't want to have to shower all over again before breakfast. Rikku wasn't as lucky; Yuna watched as Paine pushed Rikku's head down and stuffed sand in the back of her shorts. The blonde's angry screams accompanied her frantic attempts to pull the studded flap of Paine's top of her head. It was too funny.

"You two don' hurt each other now, ya?" Wakka was chuckling as he came upon the scrapping girls. 

Yuna watched as he separated the two, then put them in a double headlock. Lulu came to stand beside Yuna at the front door. "Kids," she smiled, taking in the scene.

"Wakka or Paine and Rikku?"

"All of them," Lulu smiled, turning to face her. "Why don't you go wake Tidus? He and Wakka have practice with the Junior Aurochs in a couple of hours."

"Okay, I'll try and roll him out of the bed," Yuna joked.

"Hmph," Lulu chuckled in response. "Besides, we'll never hear the end of it if he doesn't get any breakfast." 

Yuna grinned. Her friend was right. Tidus was always thinking about his stomach. "You're right, I'll get him," she replied, walking into the house and kicking off her sandals by the door.

Behind her, she could hear Lulu admonishing the tussling trio, as well as Paine's murderous threats to Wakka. They were all so silly; now Lulu was definitely going to send all three to the market, to do something constructive. Sometimes, it was like Lulu was their mother, since none of them had one. A sigh escaped her as she slowly made her way up the stairs to their bedroom. Being betrothed was wonderful, and she never thought she would be able to say that happily. Especially after the Seymour wedding incident. But she couldn't help but wish her parents were there to see it. 

Her father was a legend, and her mother was an Al Bhed woman who was shunned because of her lineage by Spira, and generally unacknowledged. But to Yuna, they were simply the loving parents whom she missed. Her memories of them were in bits and pieces, but all were surrounded by love. Yuna often wished for a chance to truly speak to them again - to know if they were proud of her. Part of the personal reasons for her choice to journey on her pilgrimage had been to show them that their deaths were not in vain. That notion pushed her all through her studies, and the hard times it took for her to finally become a summoner like her father. She had always dreamed of falling in love, and raising her children just like they had raised her, with nothing but love and understanding. And she would, with Tidus.

It was still pretty unreal to her that they were getting _married_… Excitement rolled through her at the thought. His proposal was nothing short of amazing, brave, and perfect. The playful, happy atmosphere they'd shared had been lovely as well. Upon hearing the news, the party had erupted into cheers, and the excitement had livened up the gathering more so. 

Which brought her to sleepyhead, who was currently passed out from partying so hard all night. Brother and Rikku had given him some drinks, and he was almost comatose by the end of the night. His crazy-to-sedate-to-talkative behavior had alarmed her at first, but her friends assured her that it was just from the volume of alcohol he'd consumed through the night. But even though he was very drunk, and had to literally lean on her all the way home and into bed, he still managed to be a sweetheart. She'd deposited him on the bed and was busy pulling off his sandals and peeling off his wet clothes while he was rattling off about how he was going to be the best husband ever, and how much he loved her. It was oddly…cute. 

Yuna had looked down at her finger many times through the night, and silently acknowledged the vow she would take. She would promise her trust, love and life to him in front of everyone. Hopefully, it would be in a private ceremony in the Gagazet Mountains. Such a secluded, sacred place insured no reporters or unwanted attention. Tidus had told her she could make all the decisions for the wedding, including the locale. But she knew how much he hated the cold, and hopefully he would understand her reasons for wanting to be married there.

Yuna stepped up over the top step and padded barefoot down the hall. It was still dark upstairs, but the birds outside were getting louder. Morning was coming quickly. Maybe she would get Tidus up in time to watch the sunrise with him. She quickened her pace at the thought, and made her way to the end of the hall, where she gently pushed the bedroom door open and peeked inside.

Something contracted in her chest at the sight of him lying there, prone and unaware. She padded closer to him, and slowly, quietly lowered herself to sit beside his slumbering form. She chuckled inwardly. He was knocked out. Poor baby. Maybe he should've taken her advice and not taken those drinks from her evil cousins. 

Her husband-to-be was on his stomach, with his arms folded under the pillow that his face was smooshed into. His long, muscular legs were wrapped up in the sheets, but she could see the toes of one foot peeking from the bottom. She reached out, slowly running her fingertips up the valley of his spine, over his neck, and into his unruly hair. He stirred, opening his eyes slowly. "Mmmm, hey," he mumbled, after a beat.

Yuna smiled at the sight of his almost too-blue eyes, peeking from the slits of his half-closed eyelids. "Good morning, sleepyhead. How are you feeling?"

His eyes slipped shut once she began gently scratching his scalp. "Headache, but not too bad," he replied, his voice gravelly with sleep. "Keep doin that and I'll be even better." A loopy smile appeared on his face as she intensified her ministrations.

"Better than last night? When you and Rikku were dancing on the tables?"

A confused look, then: "Heh heh," he chuckled, with that sleepy lopsided smile. "Is anyone else hungover?"

She assumed he meant suffering from the night before. "No, just you."

He was silent, obviously remembering his behavior the night before judging by that smile. He and Rikku were going crazy at one point, jumping from table to table and laughing madly. He had tried to get her to dance with them, but she had laughingly refused, choosing to watch them instead. Somehow, he'd even convinced Lulu that it was a good idea to dance with him. On the dance floor, anyway.

"You've got practice today," she reminded him, as he turned his face into the pillow.

"Mmm hmmm." He was obviously enjoying her attention; she decided to tell him about her decision.

"I talked with Kimahri this morning about some things before he left."

He turned his face toward her. "He left already?"

She nodded. "Not too long ago. We just got back from seeing him off."

A furrow appeared between his eyebrows. "Aw man... How come you guys didn't get me up?"

"I tried," Yuna smiled. "But you wouldn't budge."

"Oh." His eyes closed again. "Okay, less talking more rubbing."

Yuna chuckled, obliging him. She had learned that Tidus was very attention starved. While he got so much social attention from the media and his fans, he acted like a baby chocobo when it came to physical attention. "Just for a little while. You have to get up soon for breakfast."

"You're cookin?"

"Yes, and Lulu."

"Mmmm," he hummed, lifting and wrapping a heavy arm around her waist. "I guess I can get up for that."

The smile was still on her face. He was in his usual jovial mood, so she figured he would be fine with her decision. Or at least take it well. "I've decided where I want to have the wedding," she began, slipping her fingers from his forehead to the crown of his hair. 

"Oh cool. Where?"

"Mt. Gagazet."

He was suddenly wide awake, staring fully up at her. "For real?"

"Yes, silly. _For real_," she chuckled. He sounded like Rikku sometimes.

He rolled onto his back, grabbing her hand and flattening it on his bare chest. "But isn't it kinda cold up there? I mean, not be a wuss or anything." He squinted up at her.

Tidus really hated the cold. Yuna knew, and that was part of the reason she liked the idea of being married there so much. It would be entertaining, just to watch him. "Yes, it's cold. But I am a white mage, remember? I can cast Nulfrost so no one will freeze."

His mouth formed an 'O' shape, and he rubbed his chest with her hand, looking down at her other ringed hand. "Okay, I trust ya." He looked up at her, a question forming. "But why on Mt. Gagazet? So Kimahri can come?"

How could she explain that she wanted to pay Kimahri back for her life? "Well, I want to have a Ronso wedding. It will be a great honor to him, and, and I want our wedding to be like no one else's." She could hear the excitement in her own voice. "I know it would be special anyway, because I am with you, but this would make it extra special for me, for many reasons."

He listened intently, and continued to glide her hand along the smooth, firm planes of his chest. "Okay. Whatever you want babe," he said sincerely. Then his face brightened. "That ring looks really pretty on you."

Yuna looked down at her shimmering finger resting on the bed beside her. "I love it," she smiled, and then looked back up at him. "I love you." 

Tidus snorted. "Huh-uh," he retorted, closing his eyes. "If you loved me, you wouldn't make me marry you in frostbite country." He was wearing a mock pout.

She leaned in and lightly kissed that pout, and noticed how it magically dissolved. "Come see the sunrise with me," she entreated, looking down and matching her fingertips with his in her lap.

"I thought you were cooking breakfast..." he whined, twisting his legs in the blanket.

She smiled at his silly behavior. "Hush silly. Breakfast after the sunrise," she admonished jokingly.

His bright smile nearly melted her. "Roger," he agreed simply, rolling off the bed to get dressed.

That night in Macalania, Tidus had described the Zanarkand sunrise with such passion; she couldn't help but want to see it. With him.  But at the time, she forced herself to accept that she never would…unless it was from the Farplane. According to her supposed destiny, this wasn't supposed to be happening. His return, her being alive, their _meeting_, none of it. Now, there he was, real as life, pulling on his shorts to watch the sunrise with her. And there she was, real as life, watching him with an engagement ring on her finger. But she supposed there was a first time for everything, even a first time for Fate to deviate from it's course. 

Their first sunrise. Hopefully the first of a lifetime of sunrises and sunsets. 

Together.


	19. The Joining

I'm baaaack! Gosh, I'm really sorry about the delay. Been a crazy last semester with school and soccer and life and junk. FINALS kicked my ass! My muse went AWOL, and I didn't want to cheapen this story for you loyal readers by hurrying through it with no emotion behind the words. 

Thanks a million times over for the encouraging emails/death threats and for keeping the faith in me. I am back in the saddle, folks. Yee-hah!!!

Al Bhed language Alert! But it's just one sentence. Wanna know what it means? You know where to go. - A lovely site with a lovely webmistress!

Read on and I sincerely hope you enjoy. :)

__________________

"Take my hand…take my whole life too…"

__________________

Tidus sat, hunched over and sucking air. The last time he'd been this nervous was before his first pro blitzball game at 13. It had been a while, but the sweaty palms, the thud-thud-thud of his heart, and too-dry mouth was hard to forget.

The past _two days_ would be hard to forget. He remembered how he spent the night before, passing Ronso trials to marriage. The hunting thing sounded cool and all, right up until he discovered he had to spend two days in the freezing-ass woods and caves. He hadn't minded that much; Yuna's pilgrimage had prepared him well. But once he'd been informed that he had to kill a deer using only his speed and a spear, things started to suck. For one, who knew a deer was so fast? And who knew they could stand up and punch like kangaroos? He sure hadn't, and he had the bruises on his neck and chest to show for it. Thank goodness he hadn't gotten another stupid black eye. But all things aside, he did get a nice-sized deer in the end, much to the praise of Kimahri and his general, Korteth.

 It had been rough, but hanging out with those guys for two days straight had been kind of cool, once they loosened up. He even got them to laugh a couple of times. But more than once, he furtively wished he could get out of that all-male sausage party and see Yuna. During the night, he usually found himself furtively wishing he could roll over in his sleep and bump into her soft warmth. He wished that he could wrap his arms around her waist, and simply bury his face in her fragrant hair. But he had to settle for rolling awkwardly into the broad back of a furry Ronso guy on a three-man pallet, in a lean-to, in the cold Gagazet woods. Gross. 

Tidus had really had enough of the manly companionship. Really.

His nervous sweat was finally drying, and starting to chill him as he sat in the hut, waiting for the wedding to begin. Gosh, he was nervous. For how bad he'd wanted to see Yuna, he was ten times that in nervousness about the wedding. Kimahri had explained the ceremony to him, and he knew what to do, what to say, but he this uncanny knack for screwing things up. Even though she had never said so in words, Tidus knew this wedding meant everything to Yuna, and he just wanted to make her happy. She deserved the perfect day, so he wasn't going screw it up.

Pushing himself to his feet, Tidus walked over to the giant shard of glass propped up against the wall that served as a mirror. He began to inspect himself, taking in his warrior wedding ensemble. Large, brown furry boots covered his feet and legs, up to a point just below his knees. They were tight around his calves; held in place by leather strips that crisscrossed at his shins. 

As he lifted his eyes to his hips, a deep frown creased his features. Tidus had never questioned his masculinity; but this damn skirt he was wearing made him wonder if other people would wonder about him. _It's not really skirt_, he reasoned, tilting his head. Kimahri called it a ree-sa. Typical Ronso males wore more studly-looking loincloths, but this smaller reesa was ceremonial wedding dress for males. It was dyed red, and short; coming only to his mid-thigh, and it was made from the hide of the deer he'd slain the night before. A large, golden rope was looped around his waist and tied in a knot around his hips, to keep his garment from slipping.

Next were the sleeve-like things that covered his forearms. They too, were made from the previous night's kill, but ceremonial feathers adorned them, their colorful tips tickling the exposed skin just under his biceps and elbows. He didn't know what the heck they were called, or their purpose, but he liked them. They made him feel kind of studly in spite of the miniskirt he was wearing. Suddenly, he tried to envision what Yuna was wearing. He hoped she had on a short skirt too. Yum. Easy access…

"Ey boy, you ready yet?"

Startled, Tidus jumped at the gruff tone, and looked up to see Yuna's Uncle Cid framing the doorway to the hut. He couldn't help but be embarrassed for thinking about Yuna so sexually when her uncle was there. "Um, yeah! I'm just waiting on my cue from Kimahri," he gibbered, trying to will the redness from his face.

Cid had taken the wedding idea with gusto; even donning the ceremonial dress of the Ronso, much to Yuna's surprise. She had explained that the Al Bhed were very proud of their race, and since her uncle was the leader, it was unheard of for him to take the dress of a Ronso. Tidus figured he was just happy to see his niece getting married and happy. But her uncle actually managed to look manly in his reesa and boots; while Tidus felt like a schoolgirl. The Al Bhed symbols tattooed on his chest added to his rugged effect. Tidus found himself suddenly wishing for chest hair. Or battle scars. His bruises were some consolation; at least they offset his own miniskirt.

Cid threw the doorflap to the side, and stomped into the room, shaking the packed snow off his boots. "It's colder 'n an old mage's tit out there!" he exclaimed, walking over to Tidus.

"Yeah it's pretty cold," Tidus laughed. Nice analogy. "Didn't Lulu or Yuna Nulfrost you?"

The older man shook his head brusquely. "Nah, I don't need no fancy magic." He waved off the notion with his hand. "So what's the holdup?"

Tidus shrugged; glad he personally wasn't too macho for some Lulu-cast magic. "I dunno. But Kimahri and Wakka said they'd be back to tell me when we're starting."

"Mmm," Cid grunted, lowering himself into a wooden chair next to the bed with a thump. "Siddown, boy, I wanna talk to you." 

Swallowing, Tidus obeyed. He'd been expecting this talk for a while; he just wished it didn't have to happen when he was already so on edge. Forcing himself to breathe evenly, he dug his thumbs into the hem of his reesa and leaned forward to face Cid. The Al Bhed leader leaned forward, clapping a calloused hand on Tidus' shoulder. "I'm not a man of a whole bunch of sentimental crap," Cid started, his eyes boring into the groom's. "but you're about to marry my niece today, boy. I treat her just like Rikku, and I love her just as much. You better love her more." The grip on his shoulder tightened, and Cid leaned closer and pointed a calloused finger in his face. "You better make sure she's happy every second of every day or….E'mm lid ouin pymmc uvv."

Huh? "Erm…what does that mean?" Tidus asked in a small voice. It sounded deadly.

Smiling a slightly feral smile, Cid stood, and barked a rumbling laugh. "Just make sure you do her right, and hopefully you won't find out." 

Nodding, Tidus fought the urge to scratch the back of his head. Or run. "Heh heh, okay Cid," he managed nervously.

Just then, another wave of cold air flowed through the room as Wakka and Kimahri bustled into the hut, wearing matching leather reesas like Cid. Damn, he was _so_ glad he had mages for friends. Otherwise, he would be freezing. "Is it time?" he asked expectantly, looking from one friend to the other. Man, he was nervous.

"You real excited ya?" Wakka grinned, walking over to the bed to punch Tidus affectionately in the arm. 

Taking a deep breath, Tidus stood, pulling his reesa back down. It kept riding up and pissing him off. He just hoped it wouldn't do so in front of everyone.  "Yeah man, but I am sooo nervous. Have you seen Yuna yet?" 

Tidus frowned in chagrin. The question surprised him; he hadn't realized he wanted to know so badly how she was doing. Was she nervous? Happy? He hoped so. However, Wakka wasn't surprised. "Maaan, she look _beautiful_. Never seen her so happy. Like she glowin or somethin," he smiled, speaking softly.

Warmth spread through Tidus' chest, and blossomed into a smile. Man, he couldn't wait to see her. To _marr_y her. Suddenly for all the nervousness, he was overcome with a sense of urgency just as strong. "Well, let's do this!" he exclaimed, reaching up and quickly pulling his fist down in his automatic blitzball celebration.

Cid and Wakka laughed at his exuberance, while Kimahri merely lifted a corner of his mouth. "Tidus have one more thing," he said turning around and reaching into a leather sack to get something.

"I don't have to fight anyone to the death or anything, do I?" he joked.

A shake of Kimahri's white mane told him it was not another trial, and after rummaging for a minute, he finally swiveled his hulking body back around, to reveal a very elaborate headband. It was thick leather; light brown in color, with four blue feathers evenly spaced around its circumference. Three small, red jewels adorned the front, and as Kimahri placed the obviously sacred headdress in his hands, Tidus noted that the hide was extremely soft to the touch.

Before he could ask him, Kimahri began to explain. "Ronso make headdress for first-born. Headdress for blessing. Kimahri make Tidus headdress."

Tidus slowly raised his gaze from the sacred item to Kimahri's steely orbs. He couldn't believe Kimahri thought so much of him. Suddenly, he was reminded of the Ronso's words during Yuna's pilgrimage. 'Kimahri have no family. But Kimahri not alone.' Tidus had no living family either, but as he looked around the room at just one half of his friends, he finally understood that statement. Grinning widely, he reached up and gently slid the last piece of his wedding outfit down onto his head. Strangely, he felt complete, and totally ready. "How do I look?" he asked, holding his hands out to the sides.

Kimahri nodded once at him, and Wakka gave him a thumbs-up. "You look like a man," Cid commented, a quiet note in his usual gruff voice.

Averting what could be his undoing in the sentimental department, Tidus smirked and puffed out his chest. "You're just now noticing?"

The older man guffawed, loudly clapping Tidus on his bare back. "I always did like you, kid."

*****

"Are you ready for this, Sir Tidus?"

Father Zuke, a long time friend of Lulu, rested a robe-covered hand on the nervous groom's bare shoulder. Tidus turned from his spot next to Wakka, Cid and Kimahri to offer the bald, clean-cut priest a small smile. "Yep," he breathed shakily, meeting the father's comforting gaze.

Zuke chuckled good-naturedly. "Congratulations, son. You are truly blessed."

"Thanks," Tidus replied honestly, turning back around to face the crowd. 

It was snowing on Mt. Gagazet as always, but Lulu and Yuna had made it out at some point to cast Nulfrost on all of the guests and wedding party, save Cid, Kimahri and the other Ronso in attendance. The islanders were obvious among the crowd; they wore heavy cloaks and jackets in spite of the spell. Tidus grinned the sight. But in spite of the temperature, everyone was comfortable. 

The entire multitude of them.

He figured it was going to be a small affair, with just their friends. But he had underestimated just how many friends they had made, and lives they had apparently touched. Once people heard word of the marriage, gifts and letters had flooded Vilucha's ferry. 

Tidus' rapidly beating heart brought him out of his reverie. Was it possible for someone's heart to beat out of their chest? Like really? 

He wondered if he would be the first person for that to happen to. At least there would be witnesses. Maybe he would be in the historical schoolbooks. It would all be all Yuna's fault. Besides, she was the one who wanted to get married in the freezing damn mountains anyway. Maybe he wouldn't be so nervous if they weren't standing on _ice_ for pete's sake. 

Suddenly, a sharp pain manifested itself in his ribs. Wakka had nudged him with his elbow. "Ow Wakka!" Tidus grumbled, frowning at his groomsman.

Wakka was smirking, and folded his arms across his chest. "You were thinkin dem weird thoughts again, ya?" he supplied knowingly.

Man, how did he do that? Tidus relaxed, smiling a little. "I'm just nervous again," he murmured sheepishly.

"Why you nervous? You know how many guys are throwin demselves into volcanoes 'cause you marryin _Lady_ Yuna?" The large islander chuckled, carefully ruffling the the unruly hair peeking over the groom's headdress. "Plus, all dem blitzball groupie girls whose dreams you crushin by getting married…"

Tidus grinned at the mental image, turning to completely face Wakka. "Shut up, Wakka." He punched his friend in the arm in reprimand.

"Whoaaa…" Wakka's shocked face focused on something over Tidus' shoulder. Before he could ask what he was talking about, the larger islander merely pointed past the groom, and Tidus turned around, only to feel his own jaw slacken.

Yuna. 

The ceremonial drums began to beat loudly, and the entire wedding party and guests stood in respect and appreciation of the approaching bride. 

His first thought was an expletive. His second was that Wakka was sooo right; she looked ….amazing. 

The bride was slowly making her way down the aisle toward him, with a radiant smile to light her path. She wore a long ceremonial dress, with long sleeves extending over her hands, which were holding her bridal bouquet.  The Ronso gown was red in color, and looked to be made of simple animal hide, much like his reesa. However, hers was gorgeous in its simplicity, with linear patterns of dyed gold and white lines adorning the bodice and sleeves. She too, wore fur boots, but hers were the brilliant red of her dress. His appreciative gaze traveled back up to her beaming face; where he noticed her usually free hair was woven back into two simple braids. She wore a headband like him, but hers was a little smaller, with a medium-sized Gagazet diamond adorning her forehead. Tidus felt like his face was going to split in half from the width of his grin. Had it really only been a couple of days they'd spent apart?

The groom stood back a little, taking in the full effect. Beautiful. 

Trailing behind Yuna were her three bridesmaids, all dressed in Lupine-blue fur coats. Except they weren't really fur coats, per se. The long garments were styled in that of a heavy cloak, but were open down the middle to their exposed navels. Lulu was the only exception; he figured Lulu's pregnancy had something to do with her coat being sewn closed. Although, Tidus wondered if Lulu would have gone for such clothing had she not been pregnant. Blue fur boots, styled like his, adorned their feet, and each woman's hair was braided in Ronso style like Yuna's. All three wore brilliant matching smiles. 

Tidus looked down into Yuna's smiling eyes as they kneeled down onto the wooden ceremonial dais. "You look amazing."  

"So do you; I forget what nice legs you have," she giggled quietly.

"Hey, don't make fun or I won't show you what's under my skirt later," he teased.

Yuna dramatically clamped her mouth shut, bringing her fingers across her lips in a "zip-up" motion. Tidus laughed.

"My fellow Spirans." Father Zuke raised his robed hands to the crowd, grabbing everyone's attention – even the giddy bride and groom. "We are joined here today to celebrate the union of two hearts and the intertwining of two souls."

Speaking of hearts, Tidus could barely hear the priest over the thudding of his. "Lady Yuna. Sir Tidus." Zuke's charming smile was aimed down at him and Yuna as he spoke. "In Ronso heritage, one Ronso must request to join with the heart of another. Upon acceptance, the couple must state their individual vows and request of its people and ancestors to bless their joining. Is this your wish today?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Tidus saw Yuna nod happily and followed suit. "Yes." Even their voices came out as one. Freaky.

Zuke looked directly at Yuna, lifting a robed arm to rest his palm on Yuna's cheek, stroking his thumb slowly across the smoothness of her face. Tidus scowled. Was that _necessary_? "Lady Yuna," the Father continued, ignorant to the groom's irrational internal jealousy, "do you willingly accept the request of Sir Tidus for your heart?"

He gulped, suddenly feeling an equally irrational fear that she would say no. But as always, Yuna eased his fears by casting a loving smile his way. Tidus grinned back at her, beside himself with pride that this beautiful woman loved him, and was about to give herself to him in front of all these people. "Yes, I did," the bride stated proudly.

Father Zuke's hand lifted from Yuna's head, to outstretch its length toward the crowd. "Please, Lady Yuna, state your intentions," he requested.

Tidus turned back to Yuna, who had risen from the platform to stand before him and the crowd. "Everyone," Yuna said loudly, opening her arms to them. "I wish to thank you for coming today. There's…there's so much I have to be grateful to you all for, and I am more grateful than anything that you all have come to witness the happiest day of my life. And my friends," she turned completely around to bow once at her entire wedding party. "I know that I would not be here if it weren't for you all. No one has better friends than I do, and I will be in debt to each of you until the end of time. When I needed you, you were all there. I could not have imagined a better family. Or a better love." The last was aimed at Tidus; the blue-and-green of Yuna's eyes boring into his own. 

Her hands reached out to capture his, and he let her bring him to his feet. His heart was thudding still, but he felt it begin to even out as he fell into that warm comfort of her eyes. Yuna raised their joined hands to her chest, where she laid his palms over her heart, resting her hands on top of his. He noticed she wore her ring; the sun's rays were dancing through the facets of the jewels, in turn illuminating their hands. Freaky. But insanely beautiful. Tidus grinned wider. 

"Tidus," she began, stroking the backs of his hands with her thumbs. "we have been through so very much together, haven't we?" He said nothing, only able to stare and manage a nod. She was so beautiful. "Every day, I think about how lucky I am to be with you and how happy you make me in every single way. When we first met, I loved you. My mind didn't quite recognize it yet, but my heart knew all along…" 

Yuna became blurry in Tidus' vision through the tears he was busy blinking back. Her words were touching him so deeply…he just wanted to hold her. He leaned in, trapping their hands between their bodies, planting a loving kiss on her warm, receptive mouth. The crowd made a collective "Awww" sigh, and he would have felt stupid if it weren't for Yuna beaming up at him as she pulled back from his mouth. "Hey, I'm not finished," she protested with an indulgent chuckle. Tidus merely grinned loopily, drunk with how she made him feel. 

"Tidus of Zanarkand," she continued, every syllable was a warm puff of air against his lips. "I promise to do whatever it takes to make you happy. I promise to give you whatever you need. I promise to try and be the air you breathe and the answers you seek." Yuna leaned forward and kissed him sweetly on his lips. "I promise to love you always," she breathed as she pulled away, nodding up at Father Zuke.

Tidus released a slow shuddering breath, trying to pull himself together. This was absolutely overwhelming. He knew she loved him; she showed him every day, but there was just something awe-inspiring about hearing someone speak in such a way…and having the words directed to you. 

"She has accepted, Sir Tidus," Father Zuke's gentle voice filtered to the groom's ears. Oh boy. His turn. But if he planned on trying to cup his cheek, the Father had another thing coming. "Now, please state your intentions." 

Opening his eyes, Tidus swallowed the lump in his throat, and turned to face the expectant crowd. He didn't see one face of disapproval; instead it was quite the contrary. Everyone was either shedding joyous tears or wearing warm smiles. "I uh, I wrote down all this stuff I was gonna say. Now, we're up here in front of everyone and all that stuff just flew out of my head." He reached up and scratched said head, as everyone chuckled. "But, I guess I should say thanks to all of you guys," he continued, glad for the lighter mood. "I mean, you've all been so good Yuna and me, and our friends," he gestured toward the grooms and bridesmaids, "and that means more than anything. To all of us. I'm also really glad you all are here to celebrate with us. I just can't believe I'm this lucky. I mean, I've got this beautiful woman to love and the best friends in the world." 

"I love you _too_..."  Rikku moaned behind him, bursting into tears. Tidus looked over his shoulder just in time to see Paine hiss something at her, jabbing her with a furry blue elbow. The whole wedding party laughed, and even a few of the crowd who knew them all well.

Sobering, the groom looked down at Yuna's smiling upturned face, and lowered himself to one knee before her. Now came the hard part. He brought their hands to his heart, and he could feel his heart thumping against her palm. Man, he was nervous. "Yuna, you know I'm not the best at this, sooo I'm just gonna tell you what my heart says, okay?"

Biting her lip, his bride nodded.

"So, um, here goes." Tidus took a deep breath, struggling to keep his voice steady. "I promise to be the best husband in Spira. I might not be the best at first, but I'm gonna work so hard to make you happy every day, Yuna. I promise to protect you and to make sure you are always happy. I will do anything you ask me to. I'll even do stuff you don't ask me to. You know, like throwing you in the ocean and…and starting fights with you and stuff." He grinned, delighting in her tickled laughter. "Seriously though, I promise to never let anyone hurt you. Not even me. I promise to make you laugh when you're sad, and hold you when you need me to. I will treat you like the maestress of my heart. 'Cause you are, you know." Tidus bit the inside of his cheek, struggling against the effect Yuna's shedding tears. "I promise I'll love you always, too." 

Lifting up a hand to brush away an errant tear from Yuna's cheek, he stood and nodded up Father Zuke to continue. The priest turned to his left, bowing. "Elder Kimahri."

Kimahri stepped forward from his place between Cid and Wakka to present a small, hinged, wooden box with what Tidus recognized as ancient Ronso hieroglyphics carved on the top, framing large carvings of a sun and a crescent moon. As the Ronso lowered his muscular form to kneel before the couple, he slowly flipped the box open and offered it to Father Zuke, who accepted it and straightened. Inside was a small knife with an elaborate wooden handle and a very shiny, sharp-looking blade. The obviously ceremonial dagger was resting on a red cushion. Tidus' brows lifted. He expected this, but that thing looked _sharp_.

Kimahri rose to his full height, standing between Yuna and Tidus, but in front of Father Zuke, who remained on the dais. Tidus felt his eyes widen, and his pulse quicken a bit. He stole a glance across Kimahri's middle at Yuna, whose eyes were calm, but glued on the dagger being handed to the Ronso from the priest. 

Kimahri gripped the dagger in one large fist, where only the blade was visible. Then, he reached out with one hand and grabbed the groom's then the bride's hands and brought them palm-to-palm. "Lock fingers," he commanded.

They did, and Tidus watched with more than just a little apprehension as Kimahri brought their joined hands up to steeple in front of him. He looked over at Yuna. "Repeat after Kimahri. Yuna talk to Tidus." Yuna nodded, and he continued. "Yuna is sun."

"Yuna is sun," she repeated. 

"Yuna shine brightly – light Tidus path to Tidus destiny. Darkness falls, but Yuna there to bring morning every time."

Tidus' bride lowered her eyes from Kimahri to focus on her almost-husband.  "Yuna shine brightly," she smiled, doing just that, "light Tidus path to Tidus destiny. Darkness falls, but Yuna there to bring morning every time."

He felt her fingers squeeze his a little, and he returned the gesture. How was it possible to love someone this much? He looked up at Kimahri, who in turn was looking down at him. "Repeat after Kimahri. Tidus is moon."

He obliged. "Tidus is moon."

"Tidus shine brightly when sun sleeps. Tidus light path to Yuna destiny. Light will fade, but Tidus there to guide Yuna back to brightness of morning."

Ocean blue met eyes of sea green and the blue of the sky. "Tidus shine brightly while sun sleeps. Tidus light path to Yuna destiny. Light will fade, but Tidus there to guide Yuna back to brightness of morning." He took a deep breath to calm himself. Event though he felt a little off speaking Ronso dialect, he still meant every word.

The Elder spoke up. "It is Ronso tradition," he boomed to the crowd. "Consorts join by spirit. Consorts now join by body." Oh boy. He goes nothing.

Kimahri brought the bride and groom's still-joined hands in front of him with his own hand, and before Tidus could even think it, the Elder swiftly brought the knife up between them and down in one smooth motion, using the same hand he held them with to then press Tidus and Yuna's palms together. Oddly enough, Tidus felt no pain. He fixed his eyes on Yuna, who was taking in their hands with the same awe he felt, written all over her expressive face. It was crazy. He could feel the unusual warmth of their sticky palms together. It was like her life essence was flowing through him; he was a part of her now and she was a part of him. How freaking cool was that?

"Tidus and Yuna share body essence. Now share essence of Sacred Mt. Gagazet." 

Lulu stepped forward then, and with a reverent bow, she handed a wooden bowl of freezing-cold-looking water to Kimahri before resuming her previous place. "Merge essence of body with essence of mountain." 

Following Yuna's lead, Tidus brought his hand to the bowl and submerged it into the water next to hers. Despite the effects of Yuna's Nulfrost spell, the water was absolutely freezing. "Shit," he mumbled quietly. Yuna released a startled hiss of her own.

And with that, Kimahri lowered the bowl and handed it up to Father Zuke. "Joining has blessing of those past. Joining is done."

A huge grin split Tidus face, and he gripped Yuna's wet hand in his. The crowd cheered, and the drums began to beat loudly, signifying the beginning of the reception and his and Yuna's lives together. Dimly, he noted that the water had mystical powers; he and Yuna's hands were not bleeding. While he was thinking, his wife rushed him, releasing his hand and using both of hers to pull his head down to meet hers in soulful kiss that lasted more than a few moments. When Yuna finally pulled away, he merely said, "Wow."

"Essence of lips," she joked, her radiant smile lighting up her eyes.

Just then, the entire wedding party rushed them, and while Yuna was nearly dogpiled by women in blue fur coats, he was manhandled up onto Wakka and Cid's shoulders toward the origin of the beating drums and the reception overlooking the cliffs of ancient Zanarkand. Laughing, he twisted around to see Yuna pop up on Kimahri's shoulders a few paces behind him in the crowd. "I love you!" he shouted, overjoyed.

She threw her head back and laughed as well. "I love me too!" 

Tidus guffawed, in spite of the fact that he wished he could throw her in the ocean for that one. But he was the luckiest man in Spira, so he decided she was allowed to rib him as much as she wanted.

Once the crowd made it to the tables and began to disperse a little, Tidus hopped down from his human perch and walked over to help Yuna down from hers. He stared down into her eyes and kissed her again. Why not? She was officially his now. Suddenly, she focused over his shoulder. "Tidus look," she said, leading him over the to the edge overlooking his ghost city.

He followed, coming to stand beside her and gaze upon the place that logically should have been the scene of their final night together. That seemed like such a lifetime ago. "It's unreal, isn't it?" she murmured softly, echoing his own thoughts.

Tidus nodded. "Pretty much. But who says our story has to be believable? I mean, there's time travel, magic, sword fights, death..."

"Aeons, corrupt leaders, true love, fake marriages," she looked up at him. "Real ones."

He kissed her then. "Yup, it's real. But you know, it's too bad you don't have to save the world again. I kinda liked the adventure."

His wife chuckled. "Me too. But just being with you is an adventure. Especially when you have had too much to drink."

Laughing, he pressed a kiss to the part in her braided hair. "Speaking of adventures, let's go dance. Maybe I can keep up with you this time, ya think?"

She smirked saucily, leading him away from the edge and back to the reception.

He shook his head at her retreating back. Man, he never, ever thought he would get married. Bachelor blitzball stud forever, right? Wrong. But being wrong was turning out to be the best thing that ever happened to him. He thought life was perfect a few nights ago, but even that magical moment in time paled in comparison to this one. Tidus of Zanarkand had his wife and family by his side, his past behind him and the future ahead.

But the chance to begin again…now that was perfection.

The End.


	20. Author's Thanks

Well, it's been a long bumpy ride, but a gloriously fun one. I would like to thank my girls for the support and ideas (you ladies know who you are) and my boys (you fellas know who you are). I would also like to thank every single reader who emailed me or reviewed me. I promise you, it means the world to me. And here's a big fast toast to all the new friends I have made. :)

I'll be around…

Seven


	21. UPDATE

I'm back, the gang is back. 2008 new story coming soon ladies and gents. :)

MY VIDEOS: I've gotten lots of emails about this and guestbooks rants about them. I have a couple of

videos I made (again back i when I was alot younger) but am still very proud of my short dabble into

video editing. Check them out on my youtube page (check out my bio page for the link) and let

me know what you think!

Lastly, I am STILL getting review and emails about Alpha Redux. Thank you so much for the love! I

promise, just the few seconds you jot down about a story you read by any author is amazing and is

totally what kept me going all through that novel of AR.

Still with the dirty/noble mind,

Mwah.

Alicia/Seven2


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